


Words Etched on Her Lips

by WaterWych



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Blood, City setting, Dark, F/F, Heavy Themes, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Light Selective Muteness, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Murder, Nudity, One Night Stands, Organized Crime, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Recreational Drug Use, Sexual Tension, Some Humor, Violence, bad language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-11 08:14:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7040404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterWych/pseuds/WaterWych
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things never go the way you want them to. For Peridot, she hadn't meant to become involved in crime-related activity; hadn't been focused on getting a position in the most notorious criminal organizations in all of Beach City; and had never tried to believe she was meant for more. Things never worked out the way she had planned them to, especially when it had all started with a simple one-night stand that, turned out, had not been so simple after all.</p>
<p>IMPORTANT NOTE ON HIATUS IN CHAPTER 7!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hangovers and One Night Stands

**Author's Note:**

> Through the hazy fog clouding her consciousness, Peridot only knew one thing for sure: she was definitely not a virgin anymore.

The soft morning light filtered in through the cheap drawn curtains, piercing the veil of darkness buried behind the lids of her eyes. With a groan of agitation, she tried to avoid it, and rolled over to bury her face into the cotton sheets smelling of distilled beer and stale smoke out of a pathetic, childish habit. A drumming pain pulsated in the back of her head, one that, after a solid grip on what very little consciousness she could grab, prompted her to retaliate out of exasperation. She clamped a shaky hand down onto her skull, and Peridot, drawing up her other free appendage – the one that had been left to dangle helplessly over the edge of the bed – rubbed wearily at her eyes. Her stomach was committing a circus act of nauseating front flips, and upon forcing out a harsh groan of pain, she could feel the very lining of her throat flare up in a raw inflammation.

_What the hell…?_

She could barely think with the sickening pulse reverberating around her skull, and instead worked to prop herself up with one arm; leaning against the bedframe for support while she threw a hand out in search of her glasses. Narrowed eyes open, she could not make out any distinct features save for the blurry mess of colors dancing before her, and this left her in a desperate state to locate her spectacles.

They should have been on the nightstand like usual, and, no doubt like she had predicted, she found them right where she had left them. Peridot slipped them up the bridge of her nose with a well-practiced push of her index finger, blinking back the hazy fog still clouding her vision. All around her, the mass of blurs became definable with tangible, complex shapes, but at a second glance around the room, panic immediately gripped her.

The bed she laid in wasn’t hers, and the room she observed fretfully wasn’t either. _Nothing_ was familiar about the ugly red shaggy carpet and cracked ceiling, and the rising dread that gripped her forced Peridot into a sickening realization. It was the shitty interior of a motel room.

How in the hell did she wake up there instead of her own apartment? She could barely recall the previous night, but upon further inspection of the room, the young woman glimpsed the edge of a dark blue bra she clearly knew did not belong to her; a cup larger and in a color she never would have considered flattering, it was quite evident she had not been alone. And it leered down on her from its high perch on the motionless ceiling fan.

The nausea hit her full force like a crashing wave of shameful regret. A faint recollection flickered into her mind like a dying firefly, and she could vaguely piece together small snippets of a much larger picture. The soft whisper of her name in her ear; a flash of blue; the feeling of hips rocking against hers; and then… and then nothing. The clues to the faceless figure in her memories perished like the growing of the sunlight outside, and she growled to herself in frustration. She lost her hold on the faulty images playing in her mind’s eye as they slipped through her fingers like water. Flowing, uncontainable water.

It almost seemed to be a lost cause, and, though she hated admitting it, the bra hanging from the fan was truly the only tangible hint she had of the mysterious figure. That, and her nearly energy starved phone on the nightstand she had completely forgotten.

At the thought, Peridot scrambled for her phone, trembling fingers grabbing loosely onto the object as she drew her arm back and turned on the small machine. The flaxen haired girl ignored the flashing battery warning displayed on the screen, and focused only on the messages splayed in brightly colored font; hastily scrolling through the foul language-containing posts and inappropriate hand gestures involving a certain middle finger sent by none other than the ex-militia woman she had the misfortune of calling ‘acquaintance’. They were all from Jasper, and none of them were of any use. The only evidence she gleaned from skimming through the rude texts was that her partner in crime had been angry due to the fact she had not been present for some sort of presentation for their next job – like they needed any introductions to the kind of work they were committing on a daily basis.

“Dammit!” Her single curse word erupted out in a hiss of frustration; more directed towards the fact she had slipped up the night prior rather than the fact she was suffering from a horrendous headache that limited her range of free thought. Out of everything she was aware of, Peridot was certain of only one thing: she was no longer a virgin.

With a weary sigh, she threw the tangled mess of cheap white cotton sheets off of her and stood, ignoring the bareness of her pallid form. It hurt even worse to stand, giving allusion that the world was pitching forwards and backwards beneath her, but she was determined to take her leave. Peridot truly did not want to stay any longer in that room. The thought that she had committed something inappropriate, no matter how satisfying it may have been, with a stranger stained her mind with guilt. But first, she needed to locate her missing clothes.

It was as if someone had decided to play a twisted game of hide-and-go-seek, and instead of hiders, it was her own articles of clothing; and she was the seeker. Carefully, the pale woman swept her gaze around the somewhat well-furnished yet shady room, desperate in pinpointing the edge of a sleeve or the colorless flash of a sock. A few minutes passed until she managed to successfully construct her last night’s outfit.

Her sneakers were at the door; socks strewn about the broken wardrobe across from one of the beds; her black slacks were crumpled under the bedframe; a green bra and pair of underpants peeking out from behind the counter holding the television; and her white button up dress shirt in the bathtub. How it had gotten there, she’d never fully understand. The previous night’s events would have been nothing more than a figment of her imagination if it weren’t for the warm ache in her core and the muddy taste of stale alcohol in her mouth.

Standing in the cramped bathroom, she glanced into the mirror as she buttoned up her shirt, bleary lime green eyes focused on the messy appearance that greeted her. Her blonde hair was unkempt, tousled from foreign hands roaming the dirty flaxen strands, and her skin felt laced with a feeling of dried sweat. In the reflective surface, Peridot could easily see the tattoo etched on the skin of her forehead, and it was a sweeping collection of colors that filled her with a sense of pride.

Marking the direct center was an inverted triangle; smooth edged lined in a lighter green ink. It was a symbol of her intelligence – a symbol of her loyalty coated in a beautiful shade of jade-like hues. The tattoo itself was simply a point of reference, and given to any member as an initiation joining with the group Peridot so elatedly called herself an alliance of.

The Diamond Authority, a notorious organized crime gang that practically held the city in its hands. Divided by three sisters, she found the woman she allied herself under to be the most powerful out of the remaining two – a merciless ruler who masqueraded around wearing the title of Yellow Diamond. It was under her sect that Peridot committed the crime operations bestowed upon her with her partner Jasper; the aforementioned ex-militia member with the shortest tempers in all of Beach City. She was going to be given a new task, as the requirement of her presence the night prior for the debriefing, but for some odd reason, she had not committed.

What went wrong?

By then, her lime green eyes dropped to the few hickeys lining the ridge of her collarbone, dark contusions blooming in the midst of their respective bite marks, and she scowled in embarrassment. How could she have let herself fall so low? A member of Yellow Diamond’s sector, no doubt, seduced by a common… woman, was it? God, how she hated to think it had been another woman she had slept with, but the signs didn’t lie. She yanked the folded edge of her collar upwards to hide the unsightly blemishes.

With her phone pocketed and her mind soberer after the scare of finding herself in a strange place, Peridot turned on her heel and stalked out of the mold infested bathroom. She instantly headed towards the door, minding the discarded beer bottles, but before she reached out to unlock it, a hesitant thought tugged sharply at the back of her mind. It was with a great difficulty that the flaxen haired girl pulled away and stomped off towards the bed. There, dangling above her, was the same blue colored reminder of her most shameful act. Giving it a sharp tug, it came free, allowing her to hastily shove it into her pants pocket like it was something offensive she had just picked up.

In some ways, it may have been, but the regretful thought of her probably having handled the breasts behind the undergarment made the article of clothing seem not so bad. That was, in comparison to what she had done the night before.

With a bit of closure in her possession, Peridot finally exited the shoddy hotel room. Outside, the cool morning air greeted her in a refreshing wave of thin mist punctuated by the unforgettable scent of carbon admissions from the cars whizzing down the road, and, glancing towards the sky, she noticed how the sun was already starting to encroach into the blue dome’s spacious territory. Hands shoved into her pockets, she strolled quietly across the desolate parking lot, the early morning air a chilly breeze compared to the warmer climate the previous day had started off with. Her sneakers scuffed against the asphalt as she made her way towards a small coffee shop locate directly next to the motel’s registration office, and when the scent of coffee beans and baked goods hit her, she had not realized how hungry she had really been.

Peridot stepped up the small stairway to the foundation of the joint, catching the closing front door with the edge of her sneaker. In disgust, she pulled open the door and entered, allowing the warmth to overtake her as she glanced curiously around the narrow shop.

It was a simple place with ugly yellow walls and a brown tiled floor, and upon casting her glance towards the counter, she saw how there was only one cashier managing a long line of customers and appearing as if they were about to drop out of exhaustion. The flaxen haired woman was impatient, but strolled morosely to the back of the slow moving procession. In front of her, a young boy looked at her fearfully and tugged at his mother’s hand with an urgent need; good, let him stare. Maybe he’ll be so unnerved by her presence that he’ll demand they leave, and provide her an opportunity to be one step closer in line. At the amount of time presented to her, Peridot contemplated through her dissipating headache of what to do, but she only knew of one activity.

Digging through her pockets, she yanked out her phone and turned it on, surprised to find that it was still clinging to life with the small margin of battery it had left. She could have done something more productive with her time, but knowing that she had abandoned Jasper without telling her a word – as that seemed to be the case through all the angry messages she had received – she considered an explanation to be in order. But where to start?

She stared at the screen for a few moments, lime green eyes darting up every now and then to check the progress on the line, before she finally sent out her response. A bitter, twisted smirk curled her lips upwards.

**Peridot –** _What the hell do you think you are doing, sending me all of those fucking texts? You completely blew up my phone!_

Peridot waited patiently for an answer, and considered pocketing her phone once more when she failed to get an immediate response. But, with a faint understanding of Jasper, she was probably just ignoring her out of spite. That was the idea, however, until a buzz in her palm caught her attention.

**Jasper –** _Oh, well I’m sorry, Miss-Go-Abandon-Your-Fucking-Roommate-Without-Another-Fucking-Word! What the hell did_ you _think you were doing, not showing up for the damn debriefing? YD was on my ass the whole time because you hadn’t showed your ugly mug!_

**Peridot –** _It’s not my fault I didn’t show up, you stupid clod! Something happened last night, and I got held up!_

She glanced up. Four more people in front of her, and one winded cashier.

**Jasper –** _‘Got held up’? Oh, what a fucking excuse! You leave me to deal with YD, and all you can tell me is that you had something_ way _more important to attend to? Bullshit, Peridot!_

The flaxen haired woman’s temper was frayed, and a scowl tugged at her thin lips. The boy in front of her must have seen it, because when she looked up to observe the progress of how many people were left, he immediately looked away in fear. Serves the little shit right.

**Peridot –** _Well, what else do you want me to say? I’m being damn honest here, because I can’t remember I single thing! All I know is that, last night, something happened I can’t recall, and when I wake up this morning, I’m in some motel room naked! There was a bra on the ceiling fan, and I’m trying to get over this raging hangover; so, if you could just fucking think for one second before you answer, maybe we’ll get somewhere in this conversation! I’ve had a very strange, and very long night, and I don’t want to deal with you right now._

A long moment passed, and before she knew it, she was at the front of the line glaring unconsciously into the sweaty cashier’s face. The dying phone buzzed in her hand, but she didn’t answer.

“Give me the strongest coffee you have, and don’t add anything to it, got it?” She pulled out a crumpled ten-dollar bill and slapped it forcefully onto the counter.

“C-Can I get a name, ma’am?” Peridot considered retorting back something rude and nasty, but seeing as how the man had a rough time, she held her tongue.

“Peri.” And with her monosyllabic reply, she pushed her way over to the other side of the counter and waited. The woman glanced down at her phone and saw how Jasper’s response had been received about three minutes ago. She read it carefully.

**Jasper –** _What do you mean you woke up in a motel room?_

Peridot pondered her reply. She had always told Jasper everything, _everything_ , so… it wouldn’t hurt to tell her about this, right? Her fingers moved gracefully over the digital keyboard.

**Peridot –** _Look, all I’m saying is that… I’m no longer a virgin…_

Her roommate’s reply was instant, and when she glanced down, she spotted a very sexual hand gesture as an image she had sent. Peridot had to hold her phone close to her chest to prevent any wandering eyes spying the inappropriate picture.

**Jasper –** _You mean to tell me you fucked last night? Who’s the lucky lady?_

**Peridot –** _Shut up! I don’t want to talk about it, or even_ admit _that I had done something like that! On top of everything, I don’t even remember who she was let alone what her face looked like. Every time I try to remember, it just disappears._

**Jasper –** _Look who got so stoned last night they couldn’t remember a thing. Damn, Peridot. And she wasn’t there when you woke up?_

**Peridot –** _No. She wasn’t. Like I said before, the only thing left of her was her bra._

A lapse formed in the conversation as Peridot stepped up to the counter to receive her hot cup of black coffee. Steam drifted up from the opening of the cap, and though she knew it would scald her throat, she tipped her head back to take a sip of the burning liquid; ignoring the cutoff warnings from the sweaty cashier. The pain flaring from her tongue and esophagus was a welcoming change compared to the confusion and regret she was feeling, and without another look at the stunned man, she strolled quietly out of the warm shop. Into the cool air, she finally risked glancing down at her phone again as she walked. Her destination in mind: the small yet cozy apartment she called home.

**Jasper –** _Then how was it? If you can't remember the girl, you can at least recall the experience, right? Was she good?_

In truth, the flaxen haired woman didn’t want to inform Jasper of the event that had transpired between her and the mysterious figure. She knew what she was doing – scouting for a potential, easy fix she could use to get high with and then fuck – but Peridot wasn’t going to give her that knowledge. If anything, it would be her own little secret, and she answered with the vaguest of replies she could compose.

**Peridot –** _It was good, I suppose. I’ve never done such a thing like that before, so I guess it was fine for my first time._

Keep her guessing.

**Jasper –** _That’s it? Just ‘good’? Why don’t you elaborate, huh? Like, was she good at using her hands, or did she scream your name when you-_

Never had Peridot been more grateful for her phone dying on her then now. It was best she hadn’t read the rest of Jasper’s reply as the flaxen haired woman didn’t want to dwell any longer on the matter. It was over; done with. And from all she knew, she’d never see her again, so it was just best to forget the whole situation and move on to the more important subjects like what her assignment was from Yellow Diamond. No doubt, when she got back to the apartment, Jasper would fill her in on the details, but for the moment, she was left in the dark.

Crossing a series of side streets and alleyways, Peridot expertly wove her way back towards the complex of where her home was located. She sipped her coffee as she went, and by the time the sun had arched high into the sky – signaling a time around noon – the familiar sight came into view.

It was a collection of multiple apartments strung together in a small community, all banded together by a common enemy: one hell of a high rent. It was fortunate Peridot’s dealing in crime allowed her to reap in a sufficient amount of wealth, but even then, it wasn’t enough to live comfortably. Every now and then, she fell onto hard times, but at the moment, everything was fine. She could afford the rent – for now – and not have to worry about sleeping on the streets. It was even somewhat fortunate that Jasper roomed with her given they could equally split the rent, but occasionally, her acquaintance made things difficult. Repairs on the apartment were just some highly expensive checkpoints Peridot had to pay off whenever Jasper got a little too out of hard with her temper, and there had been more than enough times when she found a window broken or a chunk of the wall imploded in with the mark of a fist. It was just her blessing and curse.

Listening to the sounds of the traffic, she traversed into the entryway of the apartment complex and up a flight of wide stairs, mind settled on reaching the fourth and final floor of the compound. The best part of being on the top floor: she got the best view; and the worst: she was rewarded with the ever constant sight of noisy traffic below. It ruined the pleasant view of the ocean through the slits in between the spiraling structures of concrete and metal frame.

Peridot, upon reaching the end of the staircase, stepped into a narrow hall adorned in beige wall paint and a short, grey carpeted floor, her steps muffled as she walked towards the middle of the passageway and stopped. There, in old gold plated lettering stood out the symbols _4D_. The flaxen haired woman, grasping onto the now lukewarm cup of coffee with one hand, pulled up her free one and crammed it into a back pocket where she rummaged around for the key. Panic overwhelmed her when she couldn’t immediately find it, but after a few more seconds and a whole lot of frenzied cursing, she finally located the small key. Crisis diverted, she jammed it into the lock and turned it open with a twist of her wrist.

4D appeared like any other apartment within the complex. Whitewashed walls set in a bare lighting, it had been Peridot’s job to make it feel personal while fending off the feeling of trying to make hers look at bit more original then her neighbors’; to which she succeeded. The living room, furnished with a well-worn couch, two lounge chairs, a water marked coffee table and a small television, paved way instantly into the kitchen; an even smaller room with a square dinner table surrounded by a fleet of four seats and an incomplete layout of cooking ware. There was the occasionally faulty fridge, the compact dishwasher, and the stove, but no oven. For the past five years, it had been microwaveable foods and whatever stove-required dishes she could fit. Coming up to a sixth consecutive year, the apartment hadn’t burned down yet.

From the kitchen, a hallway veered off from the left leading to one small bathroom and two bedrooms – one in which was hers, and the other Jasper’s. Lucky for Peridot, her room had the balcony, but on the downside, her room was right next to Jasper’s. The heavy metal crap she listened to almost nightly could easily be heard through the seemingly paper thin walls, and whenever the ex-militia had brought over some random girl for a one-night stand, she could everything. _Everything_. Down to the softest moan. It was a nightmare in of itself, and Peridot almost made sure to steer clear whenever she was informed about her roommate’s potential busy night. She didn’t want to be scarred for life once again when she had accidentally walked into her room during a rather heated session.

Though the apartment was small, it suited Peridot’s size and organized nature, and passing through the empty rooms towards her own, she was surprised to find that Jasper was nowhere in sight. Where could she be? Her question was answered when she entered her bedroom to find a note hastily tapped to the screen of her computer. Scowling at the thought of Jasper having entered her room, she tore it free from the machine and held it up to eye level, setting the cup of coffee down onto the desk as she fixed her glasses with a single digit.

_Had to go; got word of a drug run that needed backup, and was called to fill in the position for no-show Tourmaline. That bitch! Anyway, when I get back, I guess I’ll just have to give you the details of the debriefing last night. YD was quite clear on what our orders are. BTW, we are getting a new recruit to our small group. Don’t know her name yet, or who she is, but YD informed me last night that she should be arriving either later tonight or tomorrow._

_Guess I’ll catch you later._

_\- Jasper_

Crumpling up the note in her hand, the flaxen haired woman tossed it absent-mindedly into the wastebasket besides the desk and sat down, positioning herself so she was facing her dormant computer. State of the art, it could hack just about anything – save for government files – as long as Peridot knew the exact codes to run, but that wasn’t what she was there for. Carefully, she booted up the machine, and waited for it to spring to life, detecting the telltale signs of gears spinning to allude to her that it was active. Pulling out a cord from inside the desk, she hooked it up to one of the two ports and then plugged the other end into her phone. Within seconds, her once dead cellular device flashed the battery sign to inform her it was charging.

“Perfect,” she mumbled quietly to herself, but before she could turn away, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It had sprung up on the phone’s screen, so abruptly, in fact, that Peridot could not almost believe it. But there it was, a strange message from an unknown number she simply could not trace no matter how much effort she put into tracking the origin of the source. It unnerved her, to find something she had difficult in tracing, but the young woman leaned in to get a closer look at the odd message and was surprised to find what it contained. Her face dropped into an expression of shock. The author had to be no other than the mysterious woman she had slept with the night before, because sure enough, it mentioned their affair properly.

_Thanks for the night, I suppose. It was fun while it lasted, and I guess I can say I’m fortunate to have had the experience. It’s not a common occurrence for me to brag that I had slept with a criminal and survived to tell the tale. In the matters of our affair, however, I will tell you this: don’t look for me. You can’t find me, but even now, I’m not quite sure you would want to._

_I made sure to leave with you no evidence on who I am, but as a parting gift, I give you the bra I wore last night. Let that be a reminder. It might be odd to have, but it may as well be the only thing you have of me besides the knowledge of what you did. With this final note, I bid you farewell. May we never meet again._

No name; no signature; _no_ further information. Peridot had completely forgotten about the article of clothing shoved in her pocket, and she hastily stood to pull it out. There, sure enough, was the same one she had awoken to seeing; the same lacy blue undergarment that provided her the only evidence that the night she had had been truly not a dream. It was something like a disappointing conclusion to her, and she mindlessly threw it onto her bed, the note’s words still ringing through her mind like the dull aching headache she still possessed. Haunted by the stale tasted of alcohol on her lips and a warm body pressed underneath hers.

_May we never meet again._


	2. May We Never Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drawn from the depths of her memories, the only thing Peridot could think of was about the hot lips ghosting over her own in a heated kiss, and the desperate drawl of an unfamiliar name scorching her tongue. The faceless woman finally had an identity; her name whispered against the suffocating darkness of the night. 
> 
>  
> 
> _Lapis Lazuli_

Peridot awoke with the feeling of a phantasmal kiss on her lips and a foreign name held just at the tip of her tongue, but no matter how many times she attempted to utter the title, her mouth would not work; it was like it had considered the name blasphemous, and was punishing her out of pure spite for her lack of memory. Within sight, but just out of reach.

In frustration, the flaxen haired woman lifted her head off the cool surface of the desk, neck joints popping in protest as she craned her vision upwards to catch a glimpse of the sky. The once blue dome was alighted in a blurry, ruddy orange red glow, the giant yellow eye stating to eerily sink below the cityscape of the concrete jungle leering above. One glance at the digital clock on the nightstand told her it was 5:24. She had been asleep since 2:48.

She could not completely recall how she had come to rest at her desk – but, that day, it was as if she could barely remember a lot of things. Peridot had the inkling that she had been completing some sort of research on trying to locate the odd signal that message had been sent from, but had become drowsy in the process. It was justifiable given she barely slept the night prior, and she fumbled blindly around for the glasses that had fallen off during her somewhat short rest. Her pale digits brushed against the floor, and after a few moments of searching, the woman secured them from the depths of the dark space below: wedged beneath the desk’s drawer. She blew them off, and, after rubbing them gently against the material of her shirt, slipped them on with a single index finger.

The world shifted into view, providing her a clear scope of the messy interior that was her cramped yet comfortable bedroom. In all, it was a simple layout, tailored to the area provided, but Peridot considered it well-furnished with a personal touch.

The queen-sized mattress adorned in a collage of dark green sheets patterned in a soft pelage of black consumed most of the room’s available space; neighbored with a rather stern looking wardrobe against one wall; the desk she sat at under the window against the other. Plastered to the walls and ceiling were a collection of space-themed posters and scientific inventions, many of which were marked up in a series of numbers and indecipherable words; messages Peridot wrote to herself that no one else could read, they contained hidden secrets – mostly retaining to the topic of her position.

In neat organized stacks, bound booklets of documents and files perched like small anthills in the furthest corner of the room, and surrounding that, a pile of laundry she meant to take to the laundromat. Almost immediately her face collapsed into a look of sudden realization, and the flaxen haired woman glanced down at her own attire. Revulsion squirmed its way up into her chest. How could she have forgotten?

She was still wearing the clothes from the prior night, and it hadn’t hit her until then about what form of… _residue_ … could still be lingering; trapped within the folds and woven material. A string of curse words tore out of her mouth, and she stood from her seat in a stiff-legged fashion. Hastily, the startled hacker scurried over towards the wardrobe, nearly tripping in the process over her own two feet that seemed to have fallen asleep with the lack of movement. Having regained her balance, Peridot drew a hand up and pulled open one of the drawers to expose the sight of neatly folded shirts and jeans.

It would have been better to have just taken a shower. To have simply washed off the lingering coat of sweat and regret that plastered her flesh like a second skin. But, with another quick glance outside, it was still light out, and Peridot wasn’t too keen on the idea of showering when she was still patiently awaiting Jasper’s return; the one time she had, her disorderly roommate barged in without a single warning, and startled her so bad, the flaxen haired woman had mistaken her for an intruder. The contusion on the ex-militia’s cheek had lasted for a few days, but Peridot’s – that had been a few weeks. Her jaw still ached every now and then when it grew too cold outside.

With the idea out of her thoughts, she proceeded to strip herself of the old outfit, her nimble fingers working expertly to undo the buttons and slip off the white dress shirt. Next came her slacks, and within seconds she was down to her undergarments; the clothes discarded on the floor in a pathetic heap. Through the lack of clothing, the woman could easily make out the encroaching chill within her room, prompting her to search through the drawer for a more comfortable ensemble.

Finally, Peridot yanked out a pair of tattered jeans – ones that were slit to the knees in a patchwork assembly of intended tears – and an old plain grey t-shirt she had not worn since she had been back in high school. She gazed at it in a heavy contemplation.

_Would it still fit after all these years?_

There was only one way to find out, and after a moment of debating inside of her head, she threw the article of clothing over her head and shrugged it down past her shoulders. Lucky fit despite it being loose in the chest. A wiry smirk twisted her thin lips upwards at the success of being able to dress in such an old shirt, and she went along with pulling up the pair of scruffy jeans. It was easy enough to pull it past her hips and secure it tightly around her waist with a simple black belt, and, after a moment of smoothing down her casual outfit, deemed herself in proper appearance.

She turned away from the wardrobe, but at a second glance around the bedroom, her lime green eyes landed on an object she had neglectfully tossed to the side. The dark blue bra seemed to almost sneer up at her from its crumpled position on the bed, and her mind was filled with confusion once more. Peridot didn’t understand a single thing about the situation. The lacy undergarment; the cryptic message; the faceless woman she just _couldn’t_ remember no matter how damn hard she tried. How had she gotten herself into this mess?

The regret was welling up inside of her once more, and she crossed the small stretch of room in one stride. Splaying out a trembling hand, she hooked the piece of clothing in a single digit and drew it close, scowling as she pulled away for the dresser one last time. The hacker hauled open the bottom drawer and quickly crammed it in the section with all of her own bras, mercilessly shutting it close without another glance back. It was a consideration that, maybe if she did not look at it anymore, she would just forget about the entire situation, and, more importantly, the girl it belonged to. How did the saying go?

_Out of sight; out of mind._

One more glance at the clock, and the blaring red lights informed her it was 5:36.

Peridot shoved her hands into her pockets and stalked bitterly out of her bedroom. The wave of strange emotions made her feel uncomfortable, but with the knowledge of the haunting piece of evidence lurking in the bottom section of her wardrobe like a vicious predator, it was only increased tenfold. She needed to get her mind off of the unconscious thought.

The apartment would have been dead silent if it hadn’t been for the humming of the refrigerator and the whirling traffic below, and for once, she was grateful for the background noise. She stopped in front of the whining machine, glaring wearily at the many magnets stuck all over its faded white surface, before pulling open the door with a quick flick of her wrist. The cool air greeted her in a refreshing wave, and, surveying the shelves curiously, she noticed how much of what had been stocked was gone.

“Dammit, Jasper!” She grumbled bitterly under her breath, preparing a mental note in her head to go to the market within the next few days. Her brute of a roommate consumed far more than Peridot could ever stomach in one sitting, and for the past three or so years, half of the money she earned from each successful job went towards paying for the minimal amount of food to keep them alive. And by minimal, it meant maximum in her eyes. Morosely, she grabbed at a plastic container and cracked it open; rewarded with the sight of a chunk of dry chicken breast and boiled carrots. Stale leftovers. Perfect.

Onto a small plate of porcelain and into the microwave, Peridot punched in a random amount of numbers and stepped back when the roar of the machine clicked on. She leaned against the counter, narrowed eyes locked onto the spinning dish that showcased what would be her dinner so unattractively. It lulled her into a sense of empty-mindedness, and before she knew it, the sharp beep of the microwave signaling her meal had been radiated to perfect temperature reverberated through the small kitchen.

The flaxen haired woman stepped up to retrieve the now burning plate. It singed the pads of her fingers, sending sharp pains through the ends of her nerves. Steam wafted up from the popping, wizened piece of chicken, and with a glance towards the carrots, she wouldn’t have believed they had ever been the pointed, orange vegetables if she hadn’t seen them before shoving the dish into the microwave. It was pathetic, but it may have as well been the only decent meal left in the apartment.

By the time the sun had fallen below the line of buildings and was out of view, she had finished what little dinner she managed to scrounge together, and with the moon beginning to arch into the sky, the living rooms lights flickered on from the timer Peridot had painstakingly installed. It was pleasant to have them turn on at a set time, because, in the not so long ago past, she had finally got fed up with walking into the apartment to only ram into the walls in search of the light switch. How many times she had broken her glasses in the process, she couldn’t count, but from the painful events, she had put her mechanical skills to use. No more smashing into doorways and tripping over furniture.

Another glance at the clock embedded in the cheap microwave alluded to the dismal time of 6:05, and still no sign of Jasper. The hacker was growing impatient, alleviating the passage of time by counting the marks on the dinner table. She counted five knife marks. Swiveling her eyes upwards, the clock ticked to 6:06. On the pointless scavenger hunt, Peridot eventually marked down eleven water-ring marks; five foul words she knew had to have come from Jasper; three coffee stains she was guilty of; and a battalion of scratch marks left from all the times they had “accidentally” tried to stab each other in the hand with forks. So far, she had secured a high-score record of three different occasions.

Drawing herself away from picking out the faded words on the marred surface, the flaxen haired woman stole one last glance at the microwave. 6:26 flashed brightly in a sickly green color. Nerves frayed in the agitation of waiting, Peridot considered simply getting up and heading for the sanctuary of her room. Of course, she’d have to wait to be filled in with the details of her new assignment the next morning, but she was at the edge of tolerance. A few moments passed as she played with the idea in her head, and when she stood to take her leave, however, the click of the door unlocking caught her wavering focus. The familiar figure of her brutish roommate stumbled in.

Jasper was an impressive collection of strength and overconfidence. Tan skinned with a mane of pale bleached hair, she appeared like some average bodybuilder rather than a common thug; the heavy pack of muscles in her arms rippling beneath the flesh. All around her, a splatter of vitiligo marked up the skin of her face and forearms to create what almost looked like a bizarre depiction of tiger stripes – light against the darker tone of her body. The ex-militia woman would have been just that. A random gym enthusiast if it weren’t for the tattoo drawn so neatly on her figure.

Peridot had always thought it had been a strange place for such a mark, but if that was where the Diamond Authority wanted it, then so be it. The whole entirety of Jasper’s nose was covered in a sharp lining of ruddy orange, angled harshly and faceted in a much deeper, richer color in semblance to citrus. Where ever she went, people gawked, but at that point, she was probably used to it; and besides, who would want to insult a horrifyingly intimidating woman who appeared as if she could crush someone’s skull in her hand alone?

The flaxen haired hacker gave her another look over, distaste etched in the corners of her lips as she caught a glimpse of the gun shoved in her back pocket just below the hem of her torn colorless shirt. Jasper was cocky, but to the point where she strolled around with a firearm in plain sight? It was a surprise she hadn’t been arrested yet.

A bitter scowl screwed up Peridot’s mouth into a hard line. “Took you long enough to get back, you stupid clod! What the hell were you doing?” The woman in question gave her nothing more than a passing glance as she locked the front door behind her and settled down onto the rickety couch, swinging her legs up onto the water-marked table. It groaned under her weight.

“Like I said,” her piercing amber eyes captured hers in a tired yet dangerous stare, “had to fill in for a drug-run.”

“For almost six or so hours? Those kind of operations don’t even take three to complete!”

“Maybe not for you, but I happen to run on a different motivation.” Jasper’s implications were clear. “It may not take long to finish, but I would never give up the opportunity to have a few hours off for a little fun around the city.”

Peridot glared hard at the other woman. It was no surprise Jasper had blown her off to romp around with some random girl, but it didn’t lessen the irritation mounting in her chest, and she set her jaw.

“You mean to tell me you purposely made me wait so you could go bed some slut?”

“Yeah. That’s the point.” Jasper leaned forward, reaching into her back pocket to pull out the small sub-nosed pistol and set it onto the coffee table with a deep rooted carelessness. “It’s amusing when you get mad. You make this stupid fucking face, and - Yeah, that’s the one.” Peridot had to fend off the red flush of embarrassment that threatened to creep up the back of her neck.

“Shut up! That’s not what I’m here for!” She fixed her roommate with a glowering stare; her headache was coming back with a vengeance. “Just tell me what the debriefing was about last night, and maybe I can stop having to stare at the ugly mug of yours.”

“The debriefing? Oh, right. The one _you_ didn’t show up to.” There was a rising malice in Jasper’s deep, rumbling tone. “I can tell you, but only if you inform me in return. What the fucking hell really happened last night?”

“I don’t fucking know!” Peridot snarled, frustrated at having to repeat her shameful story once again. Hadn’t she already told her enough? She ran a hand through her messy strands of dirty blonde. “I can’t remember a damn thing, alright! Stop asking me, because I can’t tell you anything.”

“Bullshit!”

“It’s true, Jasper!” She was growling by that point. “If you want to know the whole fucking story, the fucking story _I_ don’t even remember, go find the girl yourself! Everything I’ve told you is the same thing I’m going to just tell you again.” They were at an impasse; Peridot sneering at her as if she was ready to bite her throat out, and Jasper glaring nastily with a look of pure malice. Her nerves were frayed enough, but she really didn’t want to get into a physical confrontation. A few moments passed until one of them finally backed down.

“Alright, fine, I get it. I’m not going to ask. I’ll tell you what you need to know, so just… stop yelling okay? You’re going to make the neighbors think there’s some kind of sex party going on between these walls.” Her rough snigger was unsettling, and highly inappropriate.

The rage in her blood immediately diminished into a feeling of exhaustion, leaving Peridot the only option to stand there in a thin patience for her to begin. Had Jasper always been so hard to deal with, trying to pry into such affairs without any thought or consequence? The flaxen haired woman really did not want to know.

“Now, listen up you impatient fucker, ‘cause I’m only going to tell you this once.” Jasper scratched idly at her dirt and sweat stained cheek. “Yellow Diamond’s changed orders on us. Instead of helping out in drug runs, we’ll be the ones delivering them, got it?” See, the thing is,” she gestured with a massive hand towards Peridot’s lanky form, “local drug dealers under the Diamond Authority’s command are going to relay signals to this location here. You’ve got the hacking technology, so you’re supposed to decipher it. Get the exact location of where dealers stored their caches.

"These coordinates are important, and after you mark them out, the rest of us are sent out to go hunt them down and secure them. That is, me, and the new recruit we’ll be getting really soon. With you as intelligence, it’ll be just us two running around the city trying to acquire the drug caches first.”

“And what’s so important about that?” Peridot questioned lightly, lips still drawn into a tight line as Jasper glanced at her offhandedly.

“We’ll be the only ones doing it. Our small soon-to-be trio is the only sect working on locating these storage areas, but, once we get them signaled and tagged, that’s when the drug-runners are called out to pick it up. How do you think we’re able to find those fucking caches so easily? Well, obviously,” the vitiligo-stained woman smirked cockily at her, “it’s going to be a much more dangerous job than the one we had before. You mess one of those coordinates up, Peridot,” she drew a thick finger across her own throat, “and we’ll be fucking dead.” Her words weighed heavily within her mind.

That much power rested on her? She never considered she’d have a hold over such a life or death situation, but, given she was the best hacker under Yellow Diamond’s authority, she could safely say she may have as well been a valued member. An odd pride swelled inside the shorter woman’s chest. What a wonderful feeling to know her leader had placed so much confidence in her.

“Oh, but Jasper? Did you find out who the new girl would be?” Her response was a vague shake of her heavily maned head.

“Not a clue. All I know is that it’s someone who’s got… what was it? Experience? Ah, someone who knows how to handle a gun properly, I suppose.” Peridot’s lime green eyes were drawn over to the pistol lying dormant on the table.

“And what would you know about handling a gun properly, you fucking clod?”

“More than you would know.” Jasper retorted, grabbing at the black firearm and pointing it directly at Peridot. Her chest tightened in anxiety, but she concealed her nervousness with a high-strung bark of laughter.

“Please. That pathetic thing? What’s that going to do to me?”

“I don’t really know, actually. Didn’t get to use it today, so why don’t I start now?” Something unsettling had established itself into Jasper’s amber orbs, forcing the flaxen haired woman to wonder if her partner in crime was having some strange relapse brought on by an urge to pull the trigger; having fought in some forgotten war nearly a decade ago, she wouldn’t be surprised if she was, but that didn’t ease her nerves. A harsh silence filled the cramped living room, one that ignited a desperate desire to escape, but before she could even act on the impulse, there was an abrupt knock on the door.

The hacker threw herself onto the floor, eyes screwed shut as if she had just heard the telltale sound of the pistol go off. Was she bleeding? She felt no pain, but didn’t adrenaline always numb the wound? Hastily, she patted herself down, and, upon glancing up towards where her roommate was sitting, noticed a wiry smirk had been plastered across her thick lips.

_That fucking traitor!_

“Just fooling around with you, Peridot.” Jasper chuckled gratingly as she stood from the couch and slipped the gun back into her pants pocket, steps slow and lumbering against the floor. “You really thought I’d pull the trigger on ya? Well, there goes my faith in you.” She brushed herself off indignantly, glaring daggers at the vitiligo woman’s back as she stooped to answer the door; wishing that, pathetically so, she’d blink and find real knives sticking out of her broad shoulder blades. That’d make her think twice about messing with her head.

With the time allotted from Jasper opening the door, she regained whatever little dignity she could muster. Judging by how the other woman was conversing in low, hushed tones, there was no doubt they’d be expecting a guest. Perhaps it was the new girl they were anticipating? If it was, all the better to make a more decorous first impression, and with her mind set on the idea, Peridot straightened out her back into a more proper posture.

She had been right on the mark.

“Look who we’ve got!” Jasper barked roughly over her shoulder at her, and, big girth still blocking the doorway, she couldn’t make out the figure standing silently in the halls. “It’s the girl we’ve been expecting, and I gotta tell ya, Peridot,” a mirth entered her voice, “the way she looks, I think we’ll all get along fine.”

_Figures Jasper’s only got one damn thing on her mind._

It was a bitter conclusion, but she pushed the sickening thought out of her head when her hulking roommate finally pulled away from the doorway; a shit-eating grin plastered loosely on her strong jawed face. Peridot had been sure she had steeled her nerves for what was about to come, but she could never have expected the girl who stepped out of the dark hallway and into the dim light. Her face a cold mask of indifference, and her translucent blue eyes a mesmerizing force.

The only thing Peridot could think of was about the hot lips ghosting over her own in a heated kiss, and the desperate drawl of an unfamiliar name scorching her tongue. The faceless woman finally had an identity, and she was standing right in front of her.

The eccentric blue eyes, so oddly cold, were a blasphemous testimony, because the unrecallable title finally slipped its way into her muddled mind, and she remembered everything about the indescribable figure in that moment. One of the faintest memories she associated with her flickered in like a dying firefly, and with it, a whispered name against the suffocating darkness of the night.

 _Lapis Lazuli_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down! And yes; the mysterious woman is introduced finally! So, I'm not quite sure on what to feel about this. Starting off slow, it was necessary to introduce the characters and what was transpiring, but I feel as if it is dragging. This was a mess of itself as I really did not know where to go with this, but in some way, I made it. Probably having sacrificed description and quality in the very end, this chapter is a bit like a train wreck, and is shorter since I ran out of ideas. Whether I added in Lapis too early or not, I don't really know since I felt it somewhat important to not leave her out of the picture for too long. Hope this collection of words makes some sense; it's just another stepping stone in this developing story.


	3. Uneasy Truths and Bathroom Blunders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was angry - caused not just from the irritation she felt towards Lapis, but also from the sexual frustration coursing through her blood - and was compelled to express it in any spiteful way possible; even if it meant letting slip her rudimentary knowledge on Lapis' atrocious affairs.

“This is Lapis Lazuli, Peridot; it wasn’t disclosed to me at the meeting about how long she’ll be staying, but since it’s a transfer directly from Blue Diamond herself, we’re just going to have to assume it is indefinite until otherwise.”

It had started out as an awkward conversation, one in which the flaxen haired woman could barely slip a word in. Being held at what felt like gunpoint practically glued her tongue to the roof of her mouth, and as a hostage, the woman who sat adjacent to her was none other than her personal aggressor. One who possessed a pair of burning cerulean eyes and an oppressive stare that appeared as if it could burn through metal. It was filled with a corrosive, acidic malice Peridot didn’t even know she could own.

Lapis Lazuli was everything she could ever have conjured up in appearance within her mind’s eye, but everything she despised in personality.

She was beautiful, that much was true. Not stunningly so, but enough to make the hacker think twice about her viewpoints on attraction. The woman was tan skinned, a pleasant sun-kissed shade that made the shock of cobalt hair seem to almost glow in the light; a flash of eccentric, translucent cerulean orbs buried underneath a furrowed brow. The mysterious grace she possessed was uncanny – accentuated by the dark halter crop and skirt she wore to show off the curves of a slender figure.  

Peridot sunk further into the well-used couch, hands curled into fists in her lap, and a weary glare aimed straight at the floor. As soon as the new recruit entered, they had moved their circus procession further into the living room. Jasper resting unfazed in the tense atmosphere; Lapis Lazuli attentive and glowering like an on-edge predator; and Peridot desperately wishing she could just leave. To simply flee to the sanctuary of her room and ignore the azure haired girl who glared daggers into her throat. How the hell had all of this happened?

In truth, she had never expected to meet the mysterious figure from just a short night ago, but now that she had, her mind was a whirling torrent of emotion.

Regret and shame comprised the baseline; elation and confusion any visceral organs; and overseeing them all – frustration to take the throne. All the blue haired woman would do was scowl at her as if she had committed some unforgivable crime, which, in some cases, she may have, but to merely sit there and not say anything? Her nerves unraveled just a little more.

Carefully, she fixed Lapis Lazuli an uneasy stare before swiveling her gaze around to address the vitiligo splattered woman.

“I… I see. An indefinite amount of time, huh?” Something uncomfortable welled up inside of her chest. It wasn’t contentment. “Where will she, ah, be staying?” The flaxen haired hacker cast another quick glance towards the sullen blue haired woman. She wasn’t thrilled of the idea as it would just provide her another mouth to feed, but weighing down the whole situation; the fact it was the same girl she slept with who only appeared to be harboring a plan for the most gruesome death she could bestow her. Peridot couldn’t understand what was her problem.

“-as it might as well be proper, she’ll be sleeping in one of our rooms.” Peridot snapped back to reality.

“Well, it’s certainly not going to be mine! I don’t want her touching anything!” She snarled, turning her lime green eyes towards Jasper almost incredulously. It was a half-truth. Partially since she really _was_ concerned about finding something stolen, and partially given she did not want to imagine the cerulean eyed woman in her bed – invoking the memory of the event that had transpired not so long ago. Jasper, however, only gave her the strangest of looks at her sudden outburst.

“If it’s not yours, then it’ll just have to be mine.” The smirk her roommate produced sent a chill up her spine. The implication was an even harsher idea, and she didn’t even _want_ to conjure up a mental picture for the consequences.

“No! No,” her eyebrows furrowed together in agitation, “not a chance, Jasper. I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to happen.” She did not want to condemn Lapis Lazuli to such a fate.

A low growl, one that rumbled deep within the larger woman’s chest, broke the tense silence. Frustration flashing in her golden eyes. “Then what do you suggest, huh? Let her sleep on the floor? That’s not quite chivalrous of you, Peridot.” The hacker’s face transformed into one of utter shock.

_The goddamn nerve of her!_

"Chivalrous? Chivalrous?! What the fuck would _you_ know about chivalry, you fucking clod! All you care about is one thing and one damn thing only; and that’s- “

“The couch.”

“-getting into other girls'- Wait, what?” The voice had been so soft, so quiet, that Peridot had almost mistaken it for a cough. But it had been there, a lingering suggestion in the air, that when she turned to glance at the speaker, all she found was an averted gaze of shadowy blue. It was the first time she had heard Lapis Lazuli speak. “What did you say?”

“The couch.” She spoke to the floor rather than the flaxen haired woman, and with a slender index finger, gestured offhandedly to the faded piece of furniture.

“So you made up your own decision, eh? Well, can’t blame ya. You always never liked much help, anyways.” Jasper spoke up gruffly, heavily muscled arms adorned in splatters of vitiligo crossed over her broad chest.

_Always?_

Peridot turned to glare sharply at Jasper. There was no doubt she was keeping something hidden, dangling it just out of reach with her careless words, but the flaxen haired woman was determined to figure it out. With a glowering look, she caught the edge of Lazuli’s eye darting away from her and focusing onto the motionless form of Jasper. Contained in it was the same look of malice as before, resurfacing like an old shark preparing to bite.

“Shut up. Don’t speak for me. I’ll talk when I want to.” Her threat, despite the softness of all, was harsh and demanding; laced with a sense of urgency Peridot could not help but faintly admire. She was strong in her own strange way, and for that, there almost existed an inch of respect. Almost.

Perpendicular, the vitiligo stained woman drew up an arm to rub irritably at the back of her neck, thick, powerful fingers parting through a heavy mane of molten silver. The obvious scowl tipping her full lips downwards made her appear as if she was snarling, and Peridot was not surprised to find her tone unstable and borderline angry.

“Go wash yourself off, Lapis. You look like you had a rough day.” The edge in her voice alluded that the conversation was over. That she was done arguing. Lest she be agitated any further, Peridot knew there would be hell to pay either in the form of collateral damage or physical mutilation, and she did _not_ want to wake up the next morning to find a dead body bleeding red into the carpet, or even to find a few of her own fingers missing. It was probably best the ex-militia woman called off the conversation despite the lingering questions in the air.

As much as she wanted to ask, she kept quiet as Lapis slowly rose from her stiff position on the chair and stood. The flaxen haired hacker managed to sink further into the couch cushion when Lazuli cast a hasty scowl towards her and then back at Jasper, cerulean eyes betraying a hint of pure spite. For once, Peridot was grateful for the malicious glare she rewarded the larger woman, and, dropping her head to conceal a hidden smirk, sniggered nastily inside her mind like as was a child playing a mischievous prank.

_Serves that clod right! That Lazuli really doesn’t look like the “one for orders” types. Maybe she’ll finally put that bitch into her place._

Lapis Lazuli stalked quietly off into the direction of the bathroom, and within moments, the telltale sound of the shower faucet snapping on was clearly heard through the paper thin walls. Peridot, left sitting alone with Jasper, tapped her black painted nails idly on the armrest. Her consciousness was abuzz with a flurry of questions demanding answers, but the one that troubled her the most – that consumed most of her thoughts like some greedy predator – was the one that had come directly out of her hulking roommate’s own mouth. What had she meant by “always”? Was there some ancient history she did not have light upon?

That may have as well been the likely answer, because not seconds later, the flaxen haired woman had directed her focus onto the other with a deep rooted intent to interrogate. Jaw clenched and eyes narrowed in a half-lidded, hooded gaze.

So, Jasper.” It was always easiest to open up with a casual inquiry. “That Lazuli sure is a piece of twisted work, correct?”

Make her think like Jasper has the upper hand.

“You have no idea.” Her golden eyes flashed in a seemingly contained agitation, and Peridot smirked.

Wait for her to slip up.

"She’s always been a real pain in the ass.”

And then strike.

“You speak very casually of her, Jasper. Past tense, most importantly.” She smirked dangerously, her grin eerily resembling one like a cat that had just trapped its next meal. “Were you acquainted with her in the past?”

Bait her enough, and she gives in.

“’Acquainted’? Hell, we were fuck buddies back some good years ago. Every other night or so, she’d come over, and, well…” The bleach haired woman chuckled as if she were enjoying some pleasant distant memory, “that’s that.” A twinge of jealousy stabbed its way into Peridot’s reinforced heart. All cockiness faded away from her narrow features.

It had been just a one-night stand, a simple unforeseen decision on – probably – both their drunken parts, but the hacker had considered it to be a shameful yet memorable experience. And to find out she was just one of the many other flings to bed the blue eyed girl? It filled her with a sense of incredulous, painful emotion.

Slowly, her hands balled up into tight fists, leaving crescent shaped marks pressed into the palms. “What happened?” She tried, desperate to keep her voice steady.

The ex-militia glanced at her, a cynical light flickering into her golden orbs. “Water doesn’t mix well with wine, alright? Nothing good lasts forever.” A pause. “Why are you asking me all of these questions? It’s peculiar. Even for you to pry into someone’s past life.” Immediately, Peridot avoided her hard stare and dropped it back onto the floor, hands wringing themselves out of nervous habit.

“Nothing. It’s nothing Jasper, I was just- I was just going to head back to my room for the night.” Lies or truths, she couldn’t think about which she was confessing anymore as they all seemed to blur together into a cocktail of false words; words that didn’t seem like hers, and sounded more like a liar’s. Wearily, she pushed herself off of the couch, knees cracking at the lack of disuse as she stood, but before she could even disappear down the darkly lit hallway, a rough, growling voice gleaned her attention.

“Hey, Peridot?” The flaxen haired hacker turned to face her vitiligo splattered roommate, lips drawn together into a line thin.

“What?”

“You look like you could was up as well. I mean, you did fuck a girl last night, but,” a strange, twisted contraption of a smirk curled its way onto Jasper’s full lips, “I think she's already well aware of your unkempt appearance.” Peridot could only stare at her in a barely contained mortification.

_Did she…? No, she couldn’t have known…_

Carefully, she considered her next words, and when she had devised a strong enough statement to combat against Jasper’s own, she lashed outwards.

“If anything, I would think you are the one needing to clean up. If you hadn’t noticed, your shirt is torn, and there are dirt marks streaked across your face. You look like you crawled through a battlefield and then decided to wallow in some mud or something.” Staining the harsh angles of her strong-jawed face was a barrage of scratches and muddy slashes, appearing more like medals of honor stapled across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. To Peridot, it made her look even dumber than she normally did.

With her retort weighing heavily in the air, Jasper captured a glimpse of her ragged appearance, leaving the lime eyed hacker just enough time to scramble out of the room and into the sanctity of her own; closing the door with a quick thud behind her to block out the roar of irritation from her roommate. The thin walls did little to block out the vicious curse words flung her way, and even though she heard, they meant nothing.

She had been called so many uncouth titles before, it failed to damage her, but now, she just found them morbidly amusing. Her favorite started with a ‘b’ and ended with an ‘h’, and was usually accompanied by the expertly placed middle finger from none other than Jasper herself. Her least favorite began with a shiny ‘f’ and a harsh ‘k’ lavished in shimmering gold, and despite her habits of swearing like a drunken pirate when enraged, it was normally done in a sense of regret.

In truth, she hated such foul inarticulate language, but in a world where knife wounds were far more common than paper cuts, she had to steel her nerves. Lock away the deepest part of her personality and display only what they wanted to see.

Cynical; irate; calculating; detached; observant.

There was no time for carefree worries or childish actions. It was her occupation and life on the line, and if she screwed up – paraded any form of weakness – she was to be discarded.

From the beginning, Peridot had never meant to allege with the Diamond Authority; to pledge herself to the most powerful criminal organization in all of Beach City. She had, once, been a good student – a _better_ person. Straight A’s and a potential future career in engineering, her future had seemed determined and bright. But, as Jasper had said, good things never last.

Money fell into short supply; drugs waltzed straight onto the scene; and violence took a devastating hold over her life. Senior year of college, she became a drop out and vanished under the radar, away from the prying eyes of her family, and more importantly, the collectors of her debt. Her trail of dodging governmental officials and living on the streets with nothing but her intelligence as a survival method perished within the next year, and her freedom was jarred into a shuddering halt.

She had gotten arrested, jailed for resisting authority, debt, and attempting to hack the city hall’s main frame network. The bleakest three days of hell she had ever experienced. When she had figured it was the end of the road, that there may as well have been no future for her present, she was miraculously contacted by the notorious Diamond Authority. The representative who had arrived, a stalky figure with dyed red hair and a skittish personality, bailed her fine, and offered a position into the most notorious criminal organization. They wanted her; saw what she could do with her skills as a hacker despite the arrest. She had heard about them, acknowledged the rumors of their power and dominance in society, so how could she refuse?

It was the start of a more prosperous chapter in her deteriorating life. The hacker took up a new name – always an initiative of the Diamond Authority to throw an old title out and present a new one in semblance of a stone or mineral – and donned the namesake of Peridot. Provided for her promotion of growth and renewal. The tattoo was wrought painfully onto her forehead, a mark of her loyalty, and a reference for some stabilization in her once pathetic existence.

 But even with a more secure position, difficulties still arose.

Life seemed to always be sniggering nastily at her, dealing her the worst of cards in the deck of potential consequences. She was gifted a violent roommate – the type who experienced bouts of uncontrollable temper almost daily – and a minimal income barely keeping her rent at bay. If the DA possessed so much wealth, why couldn’t they spare her any? But she had already known the answer years ago. The problems continued to pile up, every little step of the way, until it formulated the foundation of her present day situation and behavior.

A wreck of nerves clinging onto the little money she could safeguard who had just witnessed the face of her last night’s fling.

“Why did the hell did this even have to happen?” Her voice sounded airy in the silent room; foreign.

Drawing a hand up, she wearily combed it through the loose strands of dirty blonde and shifted her gaze towards the window posted above the desk, lime green eyes focused on the dark sky outside. A silvery eye loomed eerily within the confines of the light polluted atmosphere like a ruling king, an emotionless face glowing a milky white.  One quick glance at the clock informed her it was 9:58, and that it was growing late. Sleep dominated her thoughts and filled her mind with a tiring heaviness, but before she could denounce herself to a much needed rest, a shower was in proper order.

She sidled her way over to the door and pressed an ear against it, straining for the signs that would allude to her that Lapis Lazuli had finished, and had successfully evacuated the bathroom. A few moments passed, and, upon deeming it safe to exit, the hacker swung the door open and peered into the devoid hall. No sign of her. With a quiet grace she didn’t even know she possessed, Peidot strolled towards the washroom and reached for the handle, wrenching it towards her with a quick twist of her wrist.

How she wished she had listened more carefully.

The sight of a slender, sun-kissed back greeted her, and she immediately froze. Artistically sketched right between her shoulder blades was a beautiful teardrop; an inked design in a mix of soft azure and deep cobalt. Like clipped wings spreading from her back. It was a lovely mark of loyalty, but an unfortunate scar of fear and anger. Peridot almost couldn’t pull her gaze away from the tattoo, and when she finally lifted her lime green eyes upwards, she was met with a stormy pair of darkening cerulean orbs reflected in the fogged up mirror. Her breath hitched in her throat.

But Lapis refused to speak; to say _anything_. In some ways, her silence was far worse than the words she may have spoken, and Peridot desperately wished she would just shout. Get livid and yell – hurl a string of nasty, biting remarks to reinforce whatever malice she probably contained. And yet, she remained quiet. Her eyes flickering angrily, her mouth drawn into a tight scowl. The look the blue haired woman provided articulated her statement very clearly.

 _“What the_ fuck _are you doing?”_

Peridot’s jaw finally unlocked itself. “Don’t look at me like that! I didn’t know you were still in here, so I just assumed that-that-“ The freedom she felt for speaking was quickly lost to her as her tongue glued itself to the roof of her mouth once more; Lapis Lazuli had whirled around to face her, providing the flaxen haired girl a clear view of her exposed chest. Her narrow face immediately flushed with a warm, uncomfortable heat.

She knew staring at her would only make the situation worse, but she couldn’t help the fact her eyes kept trailing downwards to catch a glimpse of her breasts – paler-skinned and soft in form. A gentle swell like something in semblance of a doll’s. Lapis may have a cold personality, but her appearance surely balanced out the brusque way in which she glared at her.

The flaxen haired hacker did not expect the wavering soft yet firm voice to tear her from her senseless musings. “Stop looking at me like that. It’s disgusting.” The taciturnity held within her tone sent a chill up Peridot’s spine, and she attempted to hide it with a sharp scoff.

“So the bitch can finally speak, huh? Personally, I’m a little surprised, the way you were so vocal last night. You didn’t mind screaming my name like the little slut you are.” It was rude and offensive, but a wave of exasperation had taken over; one in which Peridot let herself succumb to without any emotional reason. She felt angry – caused from the irritation she felt towards Lapis, and from the sexual frustration coursing through her blood – and was compelled to express it in any spiteful way possible. Even if it meant letting slip her elementary knowledge of Lapis’ atrocious affairs.

“So you found out. Figures Jasper would fuck up sooner or later. Never could keep her damn mouth shut when it came to bragging about how many girls she fucked.” A slender index finger captured a snarl of damp azure hair, and Lapis curled it around her digit idly. A faint twisted grin had worked its way to her lips.

“She was quite content to relay to me that information.” The lime green eyed hacker spoke up, the flush on her cheeks growing even redder when the other woman stepped forwards. Why did she just have to wear a towel around her waist and not her chest as well? Her jaw clenched, and something thick got stuck in the back of her throat.

“I’m sure she was. Very unlike you, however, to part with a secret so willingly. What I mean,” her lips were close now, close enough to the point where she could simply lean in and kiss her, “you refused to tell Jasper about the identity of your affair last night even though you clearly recognized me. She probably has figured it out by now, through that thick skull of hers, but you refused to speak up.  Why is that?” Smooth and cold, one of Lapis Lazuli’s hands slipped up her arm, and despite the chilling touch, her nerves were ignited in a burning flame.

“I just…” It was getting hard to think with the distraction at her arm, “I didn’t want Jasper getting up in my face about it. She wouldn’t drop the subject if I told her.” The conversation was strange, to say the least, and was made even more uncomfortable by the barely concealed form of the woman in front of her. She needed to leave. Fast.

“That’s what I like about you, Peridot. You like to keep secrets; deny them if asked. A favorable trait.” There was something welling up inside of her chest – uncomfortable and painful. Never had she been more grateful for Lapis’ odd shift in mood then now. The hand on her arm was quickly drawn back, and the twisted smirk that had once touched her lips was replaced with a deep snarl. Just like water, she had reverted back to her cold, calculating face. “But if you decide to keep secrets from me, Peridot, I’ll drown you in the fucking bathtub!” The tan skinned woman pushed past her without another world, shameless as she strolled into the hallway flashing her bare chest.

Peridot, left standing in the middle of the cramped bathroom, could only stare blankly into the bathroom mirror. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now that Lapis had left, a distraction out of her mind, the flaxen haired hacker could easily see the writing on the fogged up surface. In what was presumably mascara, no doubt Lapis’, a message rested eerily in black smears.

_Through the cracked mirror, take a look at yourself. Who do you really see looking back?_

She didn’t have time to contemplate her cryptic words because all she could focus on was the half bare form of Lapis in her mind’s eye. A hot rush crept up the back of her neck once more, and Peridot gritted her teeth in irritation. If the blue haired woman didn’t destroy her sanity with her ever constantly shifting emotions, her carelessness would. With a weary sigh, she shook herself from her dazed state and closed the door behind her, hands shaking as she struggled to strip herself of her clothes. A cold shower was in order.

Minutes later, Peridot found herself standing under the shower faucet, permitting the cool liquid to wash over her once heated form.

It was a welcoming feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just though I'd drop this right here, because it's another update! Peridot finally meets Lapis, and learns a few things about her from none other than her striped roommate. So, this one took a little while to compose since I struggled around for a bit on where I wanted this chapter to go. But, through a hell ton of hours of staying up late and constantly editing other parts, this was finally born! Hope you guys enjoy, because it was a whole lot of thinking.


	4. The Consequences of Morning Brawls and Bra-Stealing Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fist smashing into her face threw her onto the floor with a painful thud, and from the stabbing pain flaring through her snout, she could only conclude one thing: it was definitely broken.

The digital clock on the microwave read 7:49 in flashing green lights, and, accompanied by the sight of Jasper hunched over the kitchen table nursing a beer in hand, Peridot already knew it was turning out to be a bad morning.

Stumbling into the kitchen, lime colored orbs blinded by the bright morning sunlight filtering in through the barely closed windows, she had nearly jumped out of her own skin at witnessing the hulking figure of her roommate sitting there; motionless and snoring deeply in whatever restless sleep she could have devised. It wasn’t like she was not familiar with the muscular form of the short tempered woman, but to abruptly walk in and find her there had sent an injection of adrenaline into her blood.

Jasper was never up that early, so the strange sight of her was extremely vexing. On top of the whole situation was that it was far too early to be consuming such a heavy dose of alcohol, but knowing the other woman, nothing was off limits to her. _Nothing._ Peridot, cautious of her partner, stepped deliberately towards the table, steps slow and quiet against the cold tile floor. Given Jasper was an ex-veteran, a war struck individual, her carefulness was justifiable; Jasper was known to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and if awoken abruptly from sleep, lashed out occasionally at the nearest figure.

And Peridot so happened to be that figure. Twice, in her entire history of living with Jasper, she had been struck by her defensive reflexes – once when she had found her on the couch, and was rewarded with a nose shattering uppercut, and the second when she had entered her bedroom uninvited. Her face smashed into the floor, hands choking the very life out of her. Fortunately, Jasper had always come to her senses before she could ever cause irreversible damage, but she had yet to pull a gun or knife on her, and Peridot was only bidding her time nervously. Awaiting the day when she disturbed her, and would be gifted a bullet lodged lovingly into her forehead. Straight through the center of her inverted, jade green tattoo.

The flaxen haired hacker could never imagine what form of hallucinations her roommate conjured up, but to lash out as if the phantasmal adversaries were tangible? It was a kind of hell only Jasper knew.

Carefully, Peridot pulled the closest chair out and sat, jaw clenched tightly together as it screeched loudly against the floor. Her eyes continuously flickered over the where her partner rested for any signs of rousing, and judging from the slow, steady rise and fall of her broad chest, the noise was not a disruption. With a heavy sigh of relief, the flaxen haired girl fixed her spectacles on the bridge of her nose and glanced at the half empty bottle nearly falling out of her roommate’s loose grip; barely clenched between forefinger and thumb.

In more fear of it falling than anything else, she drew a black nailed hand out and warily hooked it between two of her pale digits, slowly drawing it out of the vitiligo splattered woman’s larger appendage. A few seconds passed in a tense silence, and when she finally had gently pulled it towards her, she paused to assess the condition of the other female. No suspicious movements met her steely gaze. Eased out of the stress of potentially awaking her – and possibly setting off another disastrous flashback – a twisted slash mark of a smile curled the corners of her thin lips as she tipped her head back to take a swig of the dark liquid.

The alcohol washed into her mouth, burning her tongue and scalding the back of her throat, and for a moment, she was grateful for the pain. Grateful to feel alive with the small discharge of alcohol in her system. It hurt, and she choked out a grating cough, one that, had she known, she never would have committed to completing. In an instant, Jasper had thrown herself upright at the immediate sound of her hacking, golden orbs ablaze with a defensive light. Peridot could only mentally curse herself as she locked eyes with her senseless roommate; lime green mingling with a fiery amber.

_Shit! Out of all the sounds I had made – the chair for one thing – she wakes up at the quietest one! What the hell is wrong with her?_

Protectively, she raised her arms up in front of her, heart pounding in her ears at the anticipation of the pain to come. But it never did. As if Jasper had been touched by some miraculous hand of sheer holiness, she dropped her raised fist like the clarity had come rushing back into her blinded mind and collapsed into the rickety chair – the wooden object groaning irritatingly under the sudden weight pressed upon it. Her dark gaze flashed towards Peridot, and she aggressively reached forward to snatch the brown bottle away from her, a low growl rumbling deep within her broad chest.

“The fuck you doing with that, Peridot?” The silver haired woman snarled out between a gulp of the burning alcohol. “What in the hell are you doing here?”

“I could say the same, you big ugly clod.” Slipping a still quivering hand through her messy locks, the flaxen haired woman lectured the other with a stern glare. She had almost gotten her face beaten in, so the aspect of insulting Jasper wasn’t too far below her standards. “What are _you_ sitting out here for? It’s,” a quick glance at the clock behind her heavily muscled roommate, “at least 8:00 in the fucking morning. You’re _never_ up this early unless you’ve just bedded an especially rowdy girl.” Peridot knew how Jasper worked, and for that, she somewhat hated herself for understanding such a disgusting level of familiarity with her.

It was the vitiligo woman’s turn to glance wearily at the clock, and upon reaching up to comb back a strand of bleached hair that had fallen into her face, she finally glanced back to address the question lingering in the air. Clearing her throat, a grating snicker slipped past her full lips. “Let’s just say I got a little too… eager… last night.” A calloused hand waved Peridot’s attention over towards the couch, and she followed obediently with her eyes.

Her heart stuck in her throat.

It was no wonder Jasper had gotten a little excited that prior night, because laying sprawled across the couch on her chest was the same topless Lapis Lazuli Peridot had witnessed not so long ago. And she was just as beautiful as she had remembered.

Soft streams of morning sunlight draped over the smooth, expansive plane of her tan back; highlighting the cobalt stained tattoo into an almost glowing collection of azure and cerulean shades. Her eccentric hair lay tangled over her eyes, concealing whatever peaceful expression rested there on partially open lips that eased out gentle sighs of air every so often in the deep confines of sleep. One hand lay limp off the side of the faded couch, and across her slender body was a plain brown blanket, the only thing covering what Peridot may have assumed was a bare form. The hacker could barely tear her eyes away from her to focus on the topic beforehand – the vague explanation Jasper had given – and even then she struggled to keep her lime green orbs locked onto the strong-jawed face in front of her.

It was a challenge she was steadily losing.

“So, ah, Jasper; care to elaborate on why you’re out here?” She desperately hoped the fake aggression in her voice would be enough to convince her dense partner in crime that she was more focused on her than the sleeping woman in the living room; and yet, it didn’t help that she was stealing glances every so other second.

“Like I said before, I got too eager. Acted on impulse, and the bitch struck out.” The vitiligo woman leaned back in the creaking chair and lifted up the hem of her shirt. There across the contours of her defined stomach were a series of scratch marks in semblance of fingernails, and judging from the depth of the small injury, the attacker had dug in deep in an attempt to seriously maim. Peridot didn’t need another hint to assume who it was. “She may have nicked me, but I easily returned the favor. Anyway, after our little spat, I went to bed but couldn’t sleep, so I simply decided to head down to the market and pick up a bottle of beer. Must have passed out since it’s morning now.”

“Charming, Jasper. Really charming. I guess that’s why I heard shouting last night. Thought it was the neighbors having sex again…” She trailed off, swiveling her gaze around to catch another glimpse of Lapis. Upon a closer inspection, Peridot spotted the mark Jasper had seemingly bragged about encircling the blue haired woman’s wrist like a dark bracelet of purple bruises. No doubt where she had forcefully grabbed her. An uncomfortable irritation welled up inside of her chest, and she turned back to Jasper in frustration, impatient to scold her on handling her so roughly.

It was strange, this illogical rage she felt, but it was as if some wave of protectiveness had befallen her and would not dissipate until she had made her point clear. Why should she be feeling such a rush of emotion, she didn’t fully understand, but before she could even open her mouth to berate her, Jasper interrupted. The question she asked shut her down into a state of shock and mortification.

“What about you, Peridot? You look just as disturbed as I do, if not a little more. Got something on your mind about Lapis, or is it just the same sexual frustration she so carelessly weaves?” It had definitely turned into one of the worst morning’s Peridot had ever had.

It topped her list, and the runner-up for second place: the previous morning when she had awoken from her one-night stand groggy and disoriented without a clue of her own surroundings. That had started the entire predicament, but the only reason why this particular morning crowned itself king was because of the harrowing experience she had woken up to.

The memory filled her with a deep sense of shame and regret, and she fidgeted in her seat as it came rushing back. Dusty, faded images painting a vivid picture of what caused her such trouble in recalling the earlier daybreak. It had started off as a dream – a simple hallucination woven by her tired mind – that quickly developed into something far more passionate and disgraceful. She blamed the sight of Lapis for discharging such an imagination within her consciousness for the hallucinations that had plagued her altered to form the basics of a wet dream. The first nocturnal emission she had ever experienced.

Peridot had never expected to wake up to find her mouth smashed against her pillow, black painted nails digging into the fabric as if it were a living person being held tightly in her arms. It had startled her; tearing her from the hazy grip of sleep and, more importantly, the revolting dream that clung like cobwebs in the back of her mind. Her wake-up call had been a heated make-out session with her own pillow, and for that, she had been determined to not go back to sleep lest she encounter the same revolting experience. With that determination in mind, she had forced herself to get dressed and venture into the kitchen to drive away the lingering images in her head, but had instead been rewarded with the sight of Jasper instead.

Forgetting about the event had only worked until her roommate unbeknownst forced her into recounting the situation. Even if she told the ex-militia woman everything, this was something she surely would take to her grave, and with the false confidence of a liar, retorted back with a vague, dismal statement.

“My ragged appearance? Please,” she disregarded her own unkempt hair and tired eyes with an offhanded wave of her hand. “You’re speaking lies, Jasper. That woman doesn’t affect me in any way.”

“Are you so sure?” There was a hidden coolness buried deep within her roommate’s rugged voice, as if she had just found a checkmate and was savoring the victory. “Last I checked, someone who isn’t “affected” doesn’t keep taking glances towards them every five seconds. You slipped up, Peridot. Don’t think I really don’t know what happened.” A twinge of panic swelled in the flaxen haired hacker’s chest.

_What? What is she implying?_

“I think the alcohol’s finally fried your brain. You’re speaking nonsense.”

“Bullshit!” The hard edge in Jasper’s voice forced Peridot’s lips together into a stiff line of irritation. “You think you could hide it from me for that long? Never thought dense-headed Jasper would ever find out your little secret, huh?”

Peridot could only sink further into her seat, mind abuzz with frayed nerves at the events that had just unfolded. Jasper’s temper had exploded like a bomb – quick and merciless just like the battle hardened ex-commander herself – and she barely could slip a word in to defend herself. She was at the clemency of her hulking roommate’s callous words.

“The way you were uncomfortable around her, it didn’t take me that long to put the pieces together.” She growled, hands tightening around the bottle in her tense grip. Something alluded to the hacker that she was somewhat inebriated, the anger radiating off of her influenced by the alcohol she had consumed, and that her actions weren’t completely her own. If anything, it was more like jealousy that claimed her thought process. “I know you fucked Lapis that night, so why didn’t you just come clean?”

“Because you would be on my ass about it!” Peridot couldn’t control her rising irritability. It was far too early in the morning to be arguing, but alcohol and Jasper never did mix, so out of sheer defense, she allowed herself to be pulled into the fray. “If I had told you the moment she had stepped in; you would probably have kept asking me questions! And I _hate_ that about you! Always trying to push yourself into other people’s secrets and experiences they would rather not speak about!”

“You little bitch! How dare- “

“No! Shut the fuck up, Jasper!” The dangerous flicker in her golden eyes did not deter Peridot from continuing her enraged rant. “I’m talking, so close your damn mouth and be fucking quiet!”

_What the hell am I getting myself into?_

She didn’t have time to focus on the inner voice in her head reprimanding herself for agitating the horrifically strong woman, but the possibilities of getting hurt – or killed – were far from her mind. All she felt was a need to justify her uncontrollable rage. “When will you get it into your thick skull that intruding into private lives, more so _mine,_ is a great way to get yourself killed?! Do you even hear what you say, Jasper? I just can’t stand being in the same room with you sometimes from all the _crap_ you constantly vomit up!”

The sheer rage in Jasper’s face was evident, cold and steely against the hard contours of her jaw, but Peridot was too far in to back down. She was eager to drive her explanation into the very heart of the other woman, and when a twisted thought slipped into her mind like a dying firefly, she did not hesitate in screaming bloody murder.

“It’s no wonder you and Lapis never worked out! She probably couldn’t stand being with you, let alone for one night!” Jasper’s jaw clenched together, and a snarl corrupted her features into one of pure malice. “And you know what? I presume you’re jealous she fucked me the other night rather than come crawling back to you.”

_Rub salt in the bleeding wound; make her squirm._

“How’s it feel to know she probably enjoyed it, huh?” A twisted, cold smirk lifted the corners of Peridot’s lips upwards. At this point, it wasn’t about explanations, but about completely shattering a reputation Jasper had held for years, and did it feel good to watch her seethe with a barely contained anger. “To realize that I’ve finally bested you at your own sick game?”

It had been enough. Like a gun releasing a bullet, Jasper advanced so quickly Peridot barely had enough time to duck – narrowly missing the bottle that came hurling at her face with the agility of a pissed off cat. The brown glass collided with the wall and exploded behind her in a shower of debris, jagged edges clattering to the cold floor with the faintest sounds of crystal against tile. Looking up for the next attack, the hacker had made her biggest mistake: exposing a weak spot.

The fist smashing into her face threw her onto the floor with a painful thud, and from the stabbing pain flaring through her snout, she knew it was broken. A bright spurt of blood stained the front of her green hoodie a dark jade, turning the fabric into a nauseating color that tore at her vision and messed with her muddled consciousness. Stars danced across her eyes, and for a moment, the hacker almost felt like blacking out in a pathetic crumpled heap upon the floor. Shaking, Peridot attempted to push herself up and restore what little dignity she could muster, but her arms refused to work, and she collapsed onto her back.

The taste of copper filled her mouth, prompting her to press a sleeve to her nose in an effort to staunch the flow of crimson.  With her heart pounding in her ears, she turned her attention towards Jasper who stood panting heavily on the sidelines, golden eyes wide with a diminishing anger as if she couldn’t believe that she had just shattered her nose. It took a great deal of mental will to curl her lips backwards into a bloodied snarl.

“J-Jasper, you f-fucking clod! What the hell…?” Peridot dug her elbows underneath her and finally sat up, whatever consciousness she had lost restored; the fire in her blood was deteriorating, but the irritation still remained like a virus – infecting her with an unjustifiable need for vengeance. With a wavering glance towards the living room, she managed to stand just as her suspicions were confirmed. Lapis Lazuli had been awoken by the minor brawl.

Humiliation coursed through the flaxen haired woman.

She had seen the fight, evident in the fact her translucent cerulean eyes were wide in surprise despite the rings of sleep pooling underneath them. That meant she had also witnessed Peridot getting her ass kicked. All ten meager seconds it had taken for her to be gifted with a cloying bloody nose of vibrant red. It hurt too much to consider the embarrassment weighing down upon her, and Peridot desperately wished to escape. To curl up into a hole and die.

With a darkening stare, she glared coldly at Jasper; the storm in her lime green orbs mounting in a pressure of sheer mortification. “Fuck you, Jasper! _Fuck you!_ ”  A glob of blood was spat up in her direction. “I’m not going to take this shit anymore, so I’m out of here!” She ignored Jasper’s attempts at half-assed apologizes as she stormed out of the kitchen and through the living room, pausing to only slip on her worn sneakers at the front door. Without a second glance towards her roommate, or even a simple peek over her shoulder at Lapis, she tore the door open and slammed it shut behind her; barely considering whether it alerted the neighbors.

Caught up in the leftover rage-induced departure, Peridot let her feet guide her. Unconscious of the destination she had in mind. The only thing she was aware of was the shifting temperature from cool to tepid – indicating she had cleared the set of stairs and had stepped outside the apartment complex – and of the bodies flowing by her like a crooked river on the sidewalk. She failed to worry about the sight of her ruffled appearance; the blood staining the front of her hoodie, or the fact that she looked as if she had just walked out from a fight with a bear. Let them stare. Maybe they’ll give her a wide berth and she wouldn’t have to concern herself with getting crushed in the constantly shifting crowd.

Eventually, however, the destination she had been unconsciously traveling towards sprang up into full view – a quaint building cramped against the corner of the street with the image of three whales perched merrily on top of the blue painted roof. The nearest mini-mart to the location of the apartment complex, it was a small shop Peridot frequently visited when food was on short supply, and by some miraculous decision, she had instinctively reminded herself of the groceries that needed to be replenished. Whether it was a blessing or a curse disguised as one, she automatically entered the market with a careless air; hands shoved deep into her pockets, and her lips screwed down into a nasty scowl.

_The Three Blue Whales Trading Co._ met her narrowed eyes on the mechanized entryway.

When she had passed through the squeaky automatic doors, the cashier manning the register stared at her as if she were death itself, and she had come with the intent to claim their unfortunate soul. In all honesty, Peridot was not surprised towards the expression they made as she waltzed so casually in. If a blood stained client had walked into her store appearing as if they had just robbed a bank, she would be staring too.

And maybe dialing a phone for the police. Either/or.

Ignoring the looks gifted to her by the other customers, she quietly meandered up and down the aisles with a dinky, red plastic basket in hand; pulling out items from shelves she needed, and replacing the ones she second guessed. It was simple enough to raid the many sections for a variety of canned goods and packaged junk food, and by the time she had finished, the basket in her hands was laden with the familiar heavy strain.

Waltzing up to the cashier had proven a difficult problem she did not have time for. The girl, a young skinny thing with her dark hair tied up in braids and a smatter of freckles dusting her round cheeks, refused to bring up her items in fear that she was a murderer; perhaps, she could have been. For five minutes, it took the lime eyed hacker a series of bribes, shocking curse words, and a whole lot of threatening to finally persuade the girl to act, and if she wasn’t potentially arrested for threatening to pull a knife out on her – she fooled her by reaching for her back pocket – then the morning didn’t seem all too bad.

At 29 dollars and 63 cents, Peridot considered the total price to be highway robbery for what she had purchased: a meager collection of soups; sandwiches; instant noodles; a pathetically small bag of frozen vegetables – because they had to stay healthy somehow – bottles of water; iced tea; and a few cans of Pit Bull. But, not wanting to be trapped into anymore arguments for the rest of the day, she gritted her teeth and slapped down two crumpled twenties.

There went most of the money towards her monthly rent.

_Jasper better pay on fucking time this month, and Lapis? God, I don’t want to get started on her share of the rent, because for all_ I _know, I’m going to assume she’s just a homeless slacker without a goddamn penny to her name. One more mouth to feed_ and _a probably broke woman in my apartment. Just my fucking luck._

The flaxen haired girl was outside, back into the warm hazy day and already making her way back towards the apartment complex before the cashier could even mumble out a feeble “Thanks for coming!”.  She was in no mood to converse, and kept her eyes trained onto the cracked sidewalk as she grudgingly pushed through a flowing wave of people; arms locked tightly around the paper bag of groceries, and her posture stiff and ridge. At that point, Peridot could care less about the dried blood staining the contours of her nose and hoodie, and if she could simply make it back to the apartment without having police on her ass for possible homicide, the day was not a complete loss to her sanity.

Slipping down a narrow alleyway and into the main lot of the complex, Peridot took a glimpse of the cloud ridden sky and, from the way the sun seemed to almost be lingering hungrily in the sky like a giant predator, deemed it was at least noon. That, or she had suffered a concussion and was only imagining that it was midday.

Peridot reached the entryway to the apartment complex and traversed up the flight of stairs that greeted her; wide stone steps whose railings were wrought with stained copper. She took no time in conquering the obstacle, and upon reaching the end, stepped into the beige walled and gray carpeted corridor. The flaxen haired woman rubbed wearily at the beginnings of a headache within the back of her skull, grasping the bag of groceries in one hand and pulling out another appendage to start rummaging around in her pockets for keys. Stumbling upon them, she jammed it into the lock and opened it with a sharp click, but before she even stepped in, her eyes desperately searched for the hulking sight of Jasper.

There was still a leftover anger simmering like a low flame in her blood. It made her worry that, if she spotted her vitiligo splattered roommate, she wouldn’t be able to control herself, and the spotless interior of 4D would become a literal battlefield. Tables on their sides; the television being used as a battering ram; the potential treatment of the chairs as makeshift, four-armed swords. Complete anarchy she knew her meager savings would _not_ be able to pay for. Her caution, however, was a waste of necessary energy as the taller woman was nowhere to be found.

“Thank goodness.” It was a sigh of relief that slipped past Peridot’s thin lips, and she marched jauntily into the cramped kitchen to store the groceries away. Her nimble black nailed hands set to work dismantling the bag, stowing away cans in the cupboard and the necessary refrigerated goods into the whining fridge. A long lapse drifted by, and by the time she finally finished and the paper bag folded to be reused for later, the sudden realization hit her like a ton of ruddy panic-infested bricks. She had completely forgotten Lapis.

_Where the hell is she?_

No telltale sound of the shower was heard, and in a rising dread, she feared the worst.

Her own room.

The hacker’s steps, slow and deliberate, were muffled against the floor as she strolled warily into the small hallway; lime green eyes locked onto the door to her bedroom. It was half open, barely letting out a crack of the interior that comprised her darkened room, and with an uncomfortable unease, she pushed it gently open with the tap of her digits against wood.

There, sure enough as she had suspected, was Lapis Lazuli. Fully clothed wearing one of her old black shirts from high school, and a pair of grey shorts Peridot didn’t even recall she owned.

The other woman must have sensed her foreboding presence because, not a second after she paused in the doorway, her cerulean eyes were on her. Twisted smirk and all curling her lips upwards. “Afternoon, Peridot.” The sound of her quiet voice jarred her into retaliation.

“What the hell are you doing in my room? It’s off-limits!” Gleaming opaque orbs ablaze with a restrained anger, the hacker stalked up towards the cobalt haired girl with her jaw clenched tightly together. To make matters worse, the hot mess that had been her terrifying dream came rushing back in a sickening wave, and she was forced into recalling everything about it as the woman it was centered around stood right in front of her. Her nerves had never felt so frayed then now.

Lapis’ reflective gaze looked her up and down, the dangerous smirk on her mouth widening by just a mere fraction. “Not if you never know.” Her words flowed out smoothly like the ocean tide itself, and it was enough to send an undesirable shiver up Peridot’s spine. How could she have fallen so low as to permit Lapis the ability of tampering with her once steely focus? It was a completely aggravating thought.

“Well, you weren’t so careful as you thought you were, huh? Didn’t expect me to be back so soon?” She buried her hands deep into the fabric of her blood stained hoodie, and fixed the azure haired woman a deep malic-filled glare. The other girl only sneered crookedly at her weakening display of dominance – so askew that Peridot would have literally thought an ancient shark was gazing at her; manipulative and patiently awaiting an opening to bite.

The head adorned by a thick, shoulder-length mane of cobalt titled mockingly to one side. “Aren’t you trying to be smart, but you’re wrong. I knew you would be back, and so I waited. Bidding my time until you arrived.” An uncomfortable feeling was welling up inside the hacker’s chest, and it was suffocating. She couldn’t let her composure by comprised by an imprudent dream, and a devious, provocative bitch.  

“Why? What would be your reason to disobey my orders?” Her voice, laced thick with a wavering anger, stuck in the back of her throat as Lapis took a single step closer, and she was vehemently reminded of the prior night. It had been a similar situation, but now, Peridot thought _she_ was at the mercy of the other woman. And she hated feeling like weak, defenseless prey.

“First off,” a slender index finger rose in the air, capped by a beautiful painted nail of dark blue, “I don’t take orders. You expect me to follow and be all ‘obedient’, then you’ve got a fucking problem. I do things my own way, or not at all.” Another finger, her middle digit, joined its sister in front of Peridot’s crimson stained face. “Second, you had something of mine I wanted back. You hide your possessions, Peridot, but you should really think better about the things you want no one to see.” The flaxen haired woman’s expression transformed into one of utter bewilderment as Lapis drew up her free appendage.

Dangling from her hand in all of its leering glory was the same lacy blue bra she had stowed away in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe just a simple day ago; and the other woman had found it. How she managed, Peridot would never find out, but in the moment, all she could dwell on was one notion only.

_That little thieving bitch!_

The entire worry of her mortifying dream driven out of her mind in the fresh wave of irritation, the hacker lashed outwards verbally. “You larcenous slut! Why the hell did you have to go looking through my things instead of simply asking me for it back?” Her voice trembled with a barely restrained ire.

“It’s amusing to see you panic, and besides,” Lapis held the bra up to her own chest, “it is far more entertaining this way. Getting you all distressed and riled up.” Dropping her arms, alluding that the conversation was over, she waltzed past Peridot with a well-placed press to her ribs; the action causing her to momentarily loose her unsteady balance. Lime green eyes flashing under a furrowed brow, the flaxen haired woman watched the swaying form of the other girl as she traveled down the short hallway. Lacy undergarment being swung casually around one of her bony fingers.

It irritated her to no end, and she was eagerly determined to get the last word in.

“Hey! Why don’t you at least help me organize all the shit that you knocked over in your damn scavenger hunt?” She gleaned Lapis’ constantly shifting attention, because in the next second, the quiet woman had peered over her shoulder at her.

“Oh, and have the “larcenous slut” in your “off-limits” room again? I don’t think so.” The bitter smirk she gave portrayed all of her emotions – dangerous; insulted; enigmatic; and above all, smug.

It was a strange notion to suddenly consider it, but the dangerous words depicted on the bathroom mirror from her last night’s incident with Lapis Lazuli replayed over in her head like a profane gospel on repeat.

_Through the cracked mirror, take a look at yourself. Who do you really see looking back?_

Peridot already knew what to consider the woman even with the little respect she hosted in her heart towards her; the true cracked personality just brimming below the surface.

She was a broken bird wrapped in barbed wire and padlocked in thorns – masquerading herself off as a predatory shark teeming with a concealed anger and distrust. But she could see the raw emotion underneath, the fear that threatened to consume her. Fear of what, she didn’t know, but it was all the more perplexing.

And for that, Peridot knew why she had been tormented by such disgusting dreams.

It wasn’t just ashamed attraction, but fascination towards the damaged girl. And she knew it.

She saw it in the way she held her tongue; refused to speak. How she constantly shifted between moods like a raging hurricane. It had been only a night and a day, and still, Peridot had figured the bizzare woman out like a puzzle. A chipped, broken puzzle where the pieces didn’t always fit and sometimes force was necessary to glue the mismatched fragments together.

Peridot didn’t understand too much about her, or why she acted the way she did, but it was enough.

Enough to be content with.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Well, this sure was difficult to write, and possible the biggest train wreck I've ever composed. The plot of this chapter was a last ditch effort in order to comprise something tangible into words, but in the overall result, I think I finally managed to get a chapter completed.    
>  This one delving into more sexual themes that I am uncomfortable with.
> 
>  
> 
> First up, I apologize if it doesn't flow quite properly. As I stated above, this was extremely difficult to think of, and when I wrote, it was sort of a come-and-go inspiration, but I hope you can piece it together well enough. Second, this was done more for getting character interaction then anything else - establish conversations and what not. Hopefully, the next one will be a bit better, but until then, enjoy! Thanks for reading~
> 
>  
> 
> (This is the longest one yet!)


	5. This is Only For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her nails dug into Lapis’ hips, and when the cobalt haired woman pulled back to peer unnervingly into her face, those dark cerulean eyes locked with hers. Why did every encounter have to be so demeaning?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to GrimsDale who has been such a pleasure working with. They've not only helped me brainstorm ideas for this story, but have also given me inspiration to write, and without their help, I don't know if I would have gotten this far! So, thank you so much for being an amazing help. I am truly grateful for your wonderful contributions to this story of mine~

Broken had been an exaggeration, but it was still definitely damaged.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror and dabbing at the dried crimson with a waded ball of toilet paper, Peridot could see the enormous contusion that wrapped across the contours of her nose. It was a hideous mass of broken blood vessels and purple stained skin, and in the harsh artificial lights overhead, the flaxen haired woman had never seen anything more revolting in her entire life. Actually – that was an understatement. She _had_ witnessed something far more terrifying then the swatch conquering the once pale skin of her face, but it was an event she never wanted to experience again.

And it had involved a certain vitiligo splattered woman.

Shoving the thought out of her mind, Peridot brushed her black nailed digits against the wound, and, producing a choked hiss of discomfort, went back to slowly removing the blood. Spikes of pain flared through the spider web collection of bruises every time she applied too much pressure, but she simply gritted her teeth and ignored the burning ache. Desperate to focus on the task at hand.

In all honesty, it probably would have been a wise idea to have visited the hospital to get herself checked out in case the self-diagnosis was incorrect, but with the concern of a broken nose behind her, it did not really matter. The positives of admitting herself would be a lack of stress in dealing with the terribly bruising feature on her face, and yet, the cons of the situation heavily outweighed any approval in going. She wasn’t eager to waste another good sum of money on fees for what would be considered a minor treatment, and crowning it all – the aspect that she would have to explain to the nurses and doctors how she appeared as if she had just ran face-first into a metal pole. She would never admit to purposely starting a skirmish with her roommate; the looks they would give her would be filled with nothing but a disgusting pity. 

The location of the medical institute, however, was not any normal public facility, but one that belonged to the criminal organization she so proudly allied herself with.

Every member came to know of the twisting yet organized layout that was the group’s main structure. The Diamond Authority held the confines of a superior medical institute, one, in which, happened to be one of four sectors comprising the whole of the organization’s refuge. And each were run by a Diamond fit for such a respectable position.

Peridot’s own remarkable leader was in charge of the foundation – the reigning hand over the Authority’s brute force. In her striking, dominating power, Yellow Diamond was a notorious force against the smaller bands that threatened the safety of the gang, and on far too many occasions, had been merciless to the adversaries encountered.

_No prisoners, no mercy._

A famous motto shouted at every newly initiated member, it was as literal as the meaning from the lips that spoke them. Yellow Diamond, Peridot knew from a fact, never played fair or even; there was always a string to pull, always a body to use, and what she didn’t achieve on the first try – she secured through brute force on the second. From what Peridot understood, however, she was no fool. The situation that Jasper had been assigned to her was no mere random transfer either.

Yellow Diamond, in all her calculating ways, had partnered her up to be a judgement to Jasper’s short temper and damaged mind; the “brain” to potentially guide her powerful and far more valuable teammate onto the right tract. It wasn’t too difficult of a setup for Peridot, but in the task of constantly having to battle her roommate for satisfying dominance and cheap blows to the face, her strength of will was faltering. Frayed from one too many painful blows rattling the brain needed to aid her partner.

_Way to go, YD._

Her Diamond’s sector, however, was not the only powerful branch to hold such a manipulative, demanding commander.

Blue Diamond, though Peridot hated to admit it, held the title of being the most conniving due to her line of work: stealth. If knowledge was her forte, then covertness was the game. Adept at dropping pawns and throwing caution to the wind, Blue Diamond was far different than her forceful, brutal sister, but, in her own way, just as harsh. If intelligence was needed, her faction was the answer, and if a rival band sprung up, her sector was already there – calculating weaknesses and slinging out secret meeting points to fellow DA members like a wave of information.

_In knowledge lies death; and in death, knowledge._

Her singular, famous dictum drenched in secrecy and deceit. How Lazuli managed to weave her way through Blue Diamond’s reign and survive for so long, Peridot considered it miraculous. Everyone under her hand was just a simple doll to be used and, if she desired it, killed off for the sake of “bettering the Authority as a whole”. For the blue haired woman to still be breathing? She couldn’t even consider what Blue Diamond needed her for, because in the realm of clandestineness, each individual member had some future role for them already figured out. But Lazuli’s? It must have been extremely important if she had relinquished her hold over her _and_ had her personally transferred under YD’s command.

It was too hard for Peridot to piece together the information, and simply dwelling on the thought conceived an aching pain in the back of her head to match the one coursing through her nose. Perhaps it would have just been easier to take the aforementioned short – although probably humiliating – trip to the DA’s sectored off hospital, but in reality, it was worthless. The superior hospital was left as a shell because, in reality, it was virtually leaderless.

The death of Pink Diamond had come at a shock; that much she had learned. Peridot wasn’t there to witness such a horrifying event, but she had heard of it - passed down to her from mouth to ear by none other than Jasper herself years after the incident. The murder had been caused by none other than one of her own high ranked officials: Rose Quartz, or the notorious leader of the Crystal Gems. Her vitiligo splattered roommate had refused to shed too much light on the answer, but from what Peridot had picked up in her time working under her Diamond’s glorious command, there had been a savage disagreement.

Something went horrendously wrong, and by the time any of her sisters had caught wind of the incident, Pink Diamond was dead. One of the syringes used to inject morphine stabbed straight through her right eye. A bounty was placed on Rose Quartz’s head, but by that time, she had already fled with a small band of followers – the ones that came to form the dreaded ragtag gang of rebels.

From what she had been informed, Pink Diamond had been the most benevolent; the more “considerate” individual out of the sisters. In her desire to strive for an end to suffering, she hosted the sector claiming the Authority’s medical center, and opened it to all members requiring medical treatment. She wielded the needle like a knife, but now, in the present, her charges were aimless. The only thing keeping the hospital fully operational was the necessary directions from high commanding officers once under the direct authority of Pink Diamond. They handed out orders like candy to children, and under their leadership, medical attention was still being provided.

In the time of need, however, replacement for the deceased leader came from White Diamond.

If Yellow Diamond had been the spine; Blue, the visceral organs; then it was White Diamond’s job to be the head. The eldest sibling to grab hold of the Diamond Authority’s infamous power, she held the entire organization in her hands. It was her guidance that had lead the gang for years, and though she controlled everything about the group, her sector mainly dealt in financial and schematic needs. Members under her steely rule passed out operations and plans, and, despite YD’s knack for violence, it was truly White Diamond’s faction that was to be feared. Not only did they have the ability to finalize decisions – with the consent of their leader – but they also were tasked with finding and “hiring” potential new recruits; a position that made them more calculated in the extremes of subtle espionage.

_To undermine the enemy is to potentially undermine the Authority._

The prominent decree ushered to any who would listen, White Diamond’s phrase spoke of the hazards that awaited the hiring of new members. Whether an infiltrator had been initiated or not, no one would ever find out until it was too late, but in the offhand chance enemy organizations – like the infernal Crystal Gems – recruited them first, it was a risk they would just have to take. Better to worry later then miss a valuable specialist.

Under the remaining three sisters’ rule, the Diamond Authority continued to be a reckoned force; feared by all of Beach City, and praised by any criminal residing under the tight-fisted reign. It was a pride Peridot equally felt. But that pride, however, was diluted by the lingering ache resonating throughout her nose, and everything she had been dwelling in that moment snapped back to a hazy reality.

The swelling was still there, leering back at her like a biting reminder of her earlier folly, and Peridot shook her head wearily before pulling away from the sink. She had enough of gazing at her own crooked reflection, and in a desperate attempt at trying to ease the inflammation, she strolled quietly out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. Footsteps slow and muffled against the carpeted floor that quickly phased out into cold tile. Peridot, upon entering the cramped room, swiveled a nervous gaze around the cheap interior. Lime green eyes zeroing in on the familiar figure in the other room.

She lounged across the well-worn couch, shock of blue hair splayed out around her head like a twisted halo. The flaxen haired hacker felt displeasure worming its way through her chest – a lingering emotion from having found her rooting through her room – but there was no point in arguing. The rest of her energy had been spent trying to fix the nasty condition her nose was enduring, and if she even found the weak strength to pull herself into another shouting match, she may as well collapse from exhaustion. Peridot could only produce a mean glare and a crooked sneer in retribution, one that was equally matched by Lapis’ own mischievous, cold grimace.

The woman trudged uncomfortably towards the whining refrigerator, held at gunpoint by the watchful eye of the other female. It was unnerving, and, with hands shaking out of anxiety and frayed nerves, she barely managed to pull open the creaking door and allow a wistful sigh to escape past her thin lips. The cold air washing over her was comforting, and Peridot dropped her lime colored gaze to survey the shelved interior. Unfortunately, nothing stuck out to her as being “potentially” useful, and she slammed it shut; quick to scramble for the smallest compact freezer she had ever seen to only start rummaging around through its icy confines in search of an ice pack.

To her misfortune, she found nothing, but upon a second glance, there was something remotely shaped like one such item sack: the quaint bag of frozen vegetables she had purchased earlier that same day.

_Just my damn luck_.

Hoisting it out of the freezer, she handled the package carefully, feeling the small peas and carrots between her numbing digits. It took only a second for her to press it carefully against her bruised snout; the anesthetizing coolness against the bridge of her nose enveloping the dull and fading ache.

Despite it bringing relief, it was rather embarrassing to be pressing a bag of frozen vegetables to her face, and when she jerked her head around to catch the tinkling of faint laughter, she wasn’t surprised. It was quiet, but still there – audible over the humming of the faulty refrigerator - and it could have only come from the cobalt maned woman sitting in the other room. The hacker’s ears burned in humiliation.

“Stop your goddamned laughing, Lazuli! It’s not amusing in the slightest.” She grumbled as she stalked irritably into the room, one hand grasping the bag of frozen vegetables like a lifeline, the other curled up into a tight fist. Her pride was on the line of being insulted, and when she collapsed into one of the chairs perpendicular to the couch, Lapis’ voice took shape and volume.

“Oh, but it is to me.” A bark of mocking laughter broke from Peridot’s scowling mouth.

“Of course it would. Seeing as how much you enjoy messing with my head.” Had her voice always sounded so nasally? Or was that simply from the dried, clotted condition of her nasal passages? She pressed the bag of vegetables more forcefully against the sore mass of bruises. “When Jasper finally hauls her pathetic ass back here, there’s going to be hell to pay; I don’t care if she pounds my face in or not, but I want some retribution for what she did. I mean,” she lowered the thawing package, “she fucking messed up my nose!”

Lapis’ lips twitched as if she was fighting back a smirk. “I kind of like it. Matches your crooked personality.”

“Very funny, Lazuli.” Sarcasm laced Peridot’s heavy voice. “Why don’t you stand in front of Jasper and take a hit from her once. That’ll probably put your humor into place.”

“I have.” The flaxen haired hacker froze. Slowly, she looked over at her and found Lapis’ darkening eyes; there was the look of some dangerous emotion concealing whatever true feelings battled behind her unnerving orbs of cerulean. “On multiple occasions. We used to be fuck buddies, remember? I _know_ what that bitch is capable of, especially on her drunken rampages. I’m not as inexperienced as you make me out to be.” The situation had grown tense, and in a desperate attempt to defuse the awkwardness of broaching a painful subject, Peridot changed the subject with a grating cough. It barely worked.

“Well, uh… Lazuli, I just wanted to ask if you- “

“I think you’re very interesting, Peridot.”

“- if you would – Wait, what did you just say?” She fixed the cobalt haired woman a look of disbelief. Was she really complimenting her at this time?

“What I said before… I like that about you. Your blunt; not afraid to switch sides of the conversation or express your anger. You fight for dominance with Jasper, and I enjoy that. It’s about time someone tried to put her into her place.”

“Then why have you never attempted it?” The hacker inquired morosely. “If you wanted it to occur, why haven’t you tasked yourself with the challenge in the past?” Peridot knew it was somewhat wrong to insult her roommate behind her back, but in all honesty, she disliked her just as much as Lapis did.

The expression the other woman performed, however, discharged an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. It was dangerous and predatory.

“I considered it years ago, but now,” she could hear the joints within Lapis’ knees pop as she stood, “it’s more entertaining to simply watch you try. You seem to know what you’re doing.” The closer she drew, the more Peridot sunk into her chair; wishing she could just crawl into a hole and die. What was Lapis Lazuli doing? The flaxen haired hacker didn’t know, but she understood only one thing – the girl in her lap was far lighter than she had remembered.

It was startling, and out of sheer instinct, Peridot pulled the sack of frozen vegetables down and dropped them onto the floor, numbed digits grabbing at Lapis’ hips in preparation of shoving her off. Before she could act, however, cold blue nailed fingers slipped into her messy hair and a voice, low and seductive, snaked its way into her reddening ears.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Peridot.” The way she drawled out her name sent undesired shivers up the hacker’s spine. “I thought you liked this. You had no qualms before.” Those were the same digits that had tangled into her unkempt locks those nights ago; and she _hated_ it. Being reminded of that feeling. Her nails dug into Lapis’ hips, and when the cobalt haired woman pulled back to peer unnervingly into her face, those dark cerulean eyes locked with hers. Why did every encounter have to be so demeaning?

Jaw clenched tightly, she choked out a hasty retort. “I don’t want you to fucking remind me, Lazuli. Just… just stop with all of this shit.”

“Why?” An uneasily innocent reply. “You didn’t tell me that when you were fucking me in that motel room, practically howling my name like a dog does on its bitch.” Her suggestive words invoked a flash of heat to dominate the unmarked paleness of Peridot’s skin – turning the pallid shade a burning red.

_She has no shame._

“How could you say that? Personally, I’d prefer if you didn’t. It’s slutty and indecent, so why do you always act like that around me? I’m not in the slightest interested.” It was only a half-truth, but at her sharp words, a dark look warped Lapis’ features into one of frustration.

"Haven’t you been listening, Peridot?” The hands in her hair tightened and pulled, forcing the hacker’s head to tip backwards; if Lapis had a knife, she could easily have slit her throat. “You’re far too fun to tease. Your reactions are unpredictable, violent, even, and I find it somewhat… interesting. Like the pulling and pushing of the tide.” Her lips were close to her neck; dangerously close. “You’re a challenge to yourself.”

“I honestly don’t wish to hear more.” She sharply jerked her head out of Lapis’ grip, and found that her own digits were clawing deeper into the other woman’s slender hips, poised to deal a quick shove that would probably send her falling backwards. The flaxen haired hacker was growing tired of her strange games, and purposely masked her agitated emotions with a well-placed façade of pure indifference. She didn’t want the conversation to continue any longer. “But, look, could you just please got off of me and- “

“- and what?” Calm and collected, the same cold hands trailed downwards to rest on the bruised patch of Peridot’s face; a thumb stroking the enflamed skin in allusion to a gentle caress. “Oh, Peridot. Don’t you even remember what I said?” Cerulean eyes blazed with a dark yet vibrant fire. “I don’t take orders. Especially not from you, but with that said, let me iterate my point in a way you may understand.”

Peridot desired that she had _never_ permitted Lapis Lazuli the opportunity of reclaiming her bra.

Not a second passed as she watched in mortification as the cobalt haired woman pulled her hands away and slipped them underneath her own shirt; lifting back the dark fabric with the most twisted grin Peridot had ever witnessed. There, exposed in plain sight, was the same lacy blue undergarment the hacker desperately wished she had not been familiar with. Witnessing it planted a bitter taste in the back of her mouth, an uncomfortable emotion welling up inside of her chest, but as much as she wanted to look away, her lime green eyes refused.

The soft expanse of her naval; the imprint of her ribs; the gentle swell of her breasts beneath the somewhat diaphanous cloth.

Her breath hitched painfully in her throat as Lapis leaned in close, soft lips drawn up in a cruel, shit-eating grin that made Peridot want to scream out in frustration. The tan skinned woman had found a checkmate. “I can do whatever I please because your rules or thoughts do not apply to me. And for the record,” the hips Peridot found her hands on swayed coquettishly within her wavering grip, “this is only for you.” A red flush of heat consumed the contours of the hacker’s face, but before she could make any move to remove Lapis Lazuli from her lap, the clicking of the front door brought her to attention.

_Oh shit!_

The door swung open, and blocking the length of the frame was Jasper; messy haired and holding a loose smile as if she had just walked in on some random couple making love on the couch. For all she could assume, she might have as well caught the two in a scandalous act.

“Well, well, well. If I had known the little bird would be giving away free lap dances, I would have returned sooner.” The odd smirk twisting her lips made Peridot feel unnerved, and in being caught in such an uncomfortable position, she quickly set to fixing the situation with a sharp prod to Lapis’ waist. A glare dominated her round features, and, not before sending a small one Peridot’s way, she pulled the length of her shirt down and slipped out of her lap; reclaiming her position on the faded couch with an unnatural grace for someone who had just been caught in a shameful pose.

Peridot scrambled for her bag of forgotten vegetables, trembling fingers grabbing for the package on the floor and then pressing it against the bruised mess that was her nose. Her piercing orbs flittered over to the stiff form of Lapis, and in a moment of pure spite, she decided to join in on Jasper’s improper teasing.

“Don’t take it too personal. Your name is _Lap_ is after all.” She snickered darkly, finding some relief in the distraught emotion that flickered over the woman’s face like that of a dying firefly. It was amusing while it had lasted, but after she was rewarded another special glare seeped in malice, the entertainment it carried sloughed off into oblivion.

The anger Peridot felt towards Jasper immediately came rushing back, and her embarrassed, irritated mood dissipated in the form of an aggravated sigh. The bruise mark flared up in pain despite the thawing coolness against it. “So, Jasper. Finally get to see your ugly mug back here again.” Her jaw clenched, free hand itching to perform a rude gesture, the hacker fixed her hulking roommate with a sharp stare; one that was easily matched by the ferocity of Jasper’s own heated grimace. The angular tattoo painted on her nose seemed to almost flicker in the artificial living room light.

“Careful, Peridot. I’m not in the mood for arguments right now.” One of her large calloused hands swept through the main of messy bleached hair. “I’ve got some news from YD, but this time around,” she glanced wearily at the cobalt haired woman sitting curled up on the couch, “it’s about our little bluebird over here.”

“What information?” The flaxen haired hacker turned her attention onto Lapis and then back towards her vitiligo splattered roommate in curiosity, lime green orbs flickering with a spark of interest. Peridot knew nothing about the girl who she had – regrettably – slept and flirted with, but now, finally, a sliver of light may be shed on her mysterious identity. Though the animosity lingered, it was dulled by the desire to listen to the knowledge her partner so strangely harbored, but she didn’t have time to question how Jasper had acquired such data. Within seconds, she was sitting at the edge of her seat, intently listening to the rumbling tone of her companion’s voice and desperately wishing the darkening expression on Lapis’ face was not meant for her.

“Alright, listen up because, like always, I am only repeating this once.” The heavily muscled woman growled, eyes darting from face to face in dramatic pause. “You know how I said before how we’re on the task of retrieval missions, correct? Well, for our small part, we required a specialist. YD wouldn’t simply let us go out like how we were – you, Peridot, relaying coordinates, and only myself out on the field – so she called in for a jack-of-all-trades, if you will. And our little jack would happen to be none other than Lapis.” A thick finger adorned in a closely clipped nail pointed offhandedly to the woman perpendicular of her.

“Blue Diamond had her, and our benefactor just couldn’t say no.” Jasper walked casually over to the last remaining empty chair and sat down, the worn piece of furniture groaning in protest underneath her weight. “As I told you a while ago, we needed someone good with a gun, and she just happens to be excellent, if not the best.”

“Really? Lazuli is capable of that much skill?” Peridot inquired, swiveling her gaze to land on the cerulean eyed woman as if she was trying to judge her for herself; for a girl of her slender graceful size, the hacker couldn’t quite believe that she possessed a knack for killing. And yet, looks often times lied.

“You doubting her, Peridot? Ever seen her with a knife, because she’s just as good with a blade in hand.”

“Don’t say things for me.” Lapis Lazuli’s voice was quiet, but audible in the tense atmosphere of a humming refrigerator and whirling city life below. “I don’t need you to vouch for what I can do.” For a moment, Jasper appeared as if she was going to strike – a tiger poised for its next meal – but instead of lashing outwards, she allowed the outburst to slip. A strange behavior that Peridot found odd, even for her bleach haired roommate.

Waving it off almost nonchalantly with a flick of her wrist, Jasper picked back up where she had been interrupted in her relay of information. “Look, all I’m trying to explain is that the only reason why Lapis was transferred from under BD’s control was because she’s a valuable asset. Her skills are highly important to our operations in the field given she is a combat specialist. Meant to be underestimated, but extremely lethal when provoked.”

“And she basically is going to be sent with you during retrievals, correct?” Peridot addressed the ex-militia woman, lime green eyes set on gazing intently at Lapis who only seemed vaguely uncomfortable with being the center of attention. Her slender fingers twisting into the fabric of her borrowed shorts.

“That is correct. With Lapis, it’ll be easy in fighting off enemy gangs if we get jumped, and also in containing those specific drug caches transmitted to your computer or whatever. From all I know, it’ll be much easier with the two of us then just me working alone.”

“Sounds fair enough.”

“I would assume it is.”

“Well, you know what they say, Jasper?” A bitter smirk claimed Peridot’s features. “If you assume, you are simply making an ass out of u and me.”

Her full lips twitched. “Oh, cute. Where’d ya learn that one? The insult store?”

“No, but I heard they’re hiring jerks like you. You could be a best seller.”

“Very funny, ya fucking runt. I didn’t come back to listen to your pathetic attempts at jokes.”

“You should know me the best, Jasper.” Peridot leaned back in her chair, one leg being raised to cross over the other in a cool manner; it was one of the ways she knew how to relieve lingering aggression – insults and witty comebacks. “I never was really good with jests.”

“Or women, for that matter.”

“Hey,” Peridot attempted to sound hostile despite the blooming smile of amusement on her narrow face, “don’t push your luck, Jasper.” Within the confines of the living room, a clear trickle of laughter broke out. It was soft and gentle, but in seconds, it had rose to a more comfortable volume, and when Peridot turned to see who produced such a carefree noise, she was shocked to find it was Lapis. Her head titled back in amusement, and her normal stoic expression transformed into one of pure enjoyment. Genuine yet airy. In its own way, it was beautiful, and the hacker couldn’t help but pause and listen to the miraculous sound.

Something heavy laced the back of Peridot’s throat, thick and coagulating that threatened to slowly choke her. Her tongue felt like it was becoming glued to the roof of her mouth.

“I-I’m sorry, I just-“ A long-fingered hand clamped itself over a smiling mouth, “- can’t help it. I’ll just e-excuse myself. I have to wash up anyway.” She stood to leave, knees popping from lack of disuse, and through the whole process of waltzing carelessly back towards the bathroom in order to have a moment of calming solitude, light sniggering followed her. Peridot’s eyes trailed after her retreating form before immediately turning back towards her staring roommate.

They may have as well had the same thoughts.

“I can see why you used to date.” The hacker could barely strangle out the sticky words against her now unfastened tongue. “She really is something; with that laugh.” Peridot didn’t want to admit her attraction, but she sure as hell couldn’t deny it.

“I know. That’s why it was good enough to just fuck her every so occasion. She doesn’t like getting close to people.” Jasper mumbled out in the returning quietness, her eyebrows furrowing together in some deep thought. The fading volume of Lapis’ laugh could be heard over the whining of the faulty refrigerator. “Never has.”

“I thought so, the way she tries to act detached.” The hacker swiveled her gaze up towards the ceiling, hands tightening and unclenching within her lap out of the boredom that had set in. Conversing with Jasper had always been a tiring affair given she could never quite predict what her roommate would act like next. At least she was caught in a far better mood despite their earlier predicament, and at the thought, Peridot realized the guilt gnawing at her consciousness.

It had been there, lurking in the back of her mind after she had provoked her companion into attacking her, and for that, an apology was in order. When the flaxen haired hacker went to repent for her actions, however, her partner spoke up first.

“Actually, uh, Peridot. I’ve been meaning to say this since I returned, but,” Jasper fidgeted with a coarse strand of bleached hair, “I didn’t mean to punch ya or anything.” Apologies had never been her forte, but if it was the only thing, Peridot would have to expect the seemingly half-assed confession of regret. But, coming from Jasper, it probably had taken her a lot of nerve to muster. Lips curling upwards in a tight smirk, Peridot pressed the bag of thawed vegetables closer to her nose.

“Don’t mention it, Jasper. I mean _ever_ again. I don’t want to be reminded about the day when you probably screwed my nose up for good.” She gave her a cross stare. “If I find out it’s permanently crooked; I’m going to break yours.” The lime eyed hacker didn’t know whether she truly meant the threat or not, but trapping it in the back of her mind offered her a small feeling of dominance she was somewhat grateful for. Humiliation and anger had been her main portions of emotion that day, so the change was a welcoming feeling.

Settling herself down into a more comfortable position within the chair, she tipped her head back, burying her arms into the fabric of her clothing and simply letting a wave of peace wash over her. The long day was drawing to an end, so, hopefully, the next would start off much better – an idea Peridot was particularly looking forwards to.

Alone with Jasper, she took a deep breath and sighed. From where she rested, she could easily detect the larger woman’s rugged scent. Smelling like stale smoke and rough, aggressive sex, it filled her mind with thoughts of a certain girl possessing flickering cerulean eyes and eccentric cobalt dyed hair. Guilty reminding her of own satisfying experience.

The smirk on her lips widened, and the words whispered so hotly into her ear reverberated against the inside of her skull.

_“This is only for you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I've been really busy with a lot of appointments, so I haven't had time to write, and on top of that, I fell into a writer's block for a while. But! After everything passed, I finally decided to finish this chapter and update. At 2:00 in the morning, for one thing, because I'm drugged up on painkillers after just having my wisdom teeth pulled out, and I guessed it was the perfect opportunity to write since I can't sleep anyway. Well, enough of that; I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as I had a bit of fun in completing this. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> There may be a few spelling errors, however, since I've had way too much medicine and not enough time to care about rereading this before I post. 
> 
>  
> 
> Remember, comments and reviews are welcomed~


	6. Drug Runs and Drug Trips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There, drawn in colorful graffiti on one of the building’s water-worn sides was a large pink rose; hanging with its thorns over an inverted triangle and surrounded by an enormous circle-like shield. The dreaded sigil of the Crystal Gems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: heavy themes of drug use and drug references at the end of the chapter.

Working with Lapis Lazuli had become an absolute nightmare.

The cobalt haired woman was a loose-wired gift disguised as a barbed wire wrapped curse; a curse with a knack for atrocious flirts and cold insults. Always shifting like water – never lingering too long in one place or on one emotion, and that is what made it so frustrating.

If Peridot had known she would only make her job harder, she would have personally hand-written a letter to Blue Diamond herself in a desperate plead to reverse the transfer. To do _something_ about the constant aching thorn in her side. But now, everything had been set in stone – her arrival; her occupation; her leeching off of her rent – and it only went from bad to worse. The uncomfortable awkwardness between them had dispersed, but her personality remained as hideous as ever, and if the hacker could have been rewarded five dollars every time Lapis Lazuli had dropped a pathetic attempt at a flirt at her, she would be living in a solid gold mansion with a solid gold pool eating out of a solid gold platter.

Most of that was an exaggeration, but Peridot certainly would be able to better afford her rent with all the effort the woman had tried. Teasing her on the sidelines, and occasionally flashing off the edge of her lacy blue bra whenever she was trying to give a debriefing for the next drug cache’s location. The encrypted messages had started building up on her computer, and after much hesitation on her part, they had started their assigned tasks of locating each supply. Four weeks in, and things were extremely difficult.

Lapis Lazuli proved a distressing challenge when it came to taking orders. The hacker handed them over to her and Jasper over a linked headset like candy, guiding them to each coordinated position, and the cerulean eyed woman would barely follow through with commands. She seemed to always be carried away into an argument with Jasper – many of which ranged from the topic of their corrupted, old relationship to who was right on what question – and when given a direct order, she simply performed the action in her own special way. It annoyed Peridot to no end. Throwing her a command to scout out the perimeter to only have her going about it like it was a simple walk in the park, and not a situation that could be potentially life-threatening.

When she had returned after a particularly aggravating assignment, Peridot did not hesitate at yelling at her, but the comment she had been given completely shut her down.

_“I do things in my own fucking way, or not at all.”_

She never asked again.

Over the course of the long, dreary month, they had only managed to secure five out of the twenty-six offered locations, amounting to only a dismal collection of Green Crystal and Red Beryl stored within the back wall of Jasper’s room for security. The drugs were all newly designed by the Diamond Authority, and were probably the worst creation she had ever witnessed to be conceived. The organization released these new conceptions into the city, and, like a festering wound rotting away from the inside out, corrupted the population. Shepherding the drug addicted people of Beach City and making a hell ton of money out of it. But, that had been the main goal from the start: to slowly take over the city through the use of drugs and become an unstoppable organized criminal group. So far, it was working.

From the drugs they secretly stashed in the walls of their apartment, Jasper would then deliver them to an undisclosed location somewhere near the hidden walls of the DA; to a “dealer” of sorts who would, after receiving the cache, start distributing it to the scum of the city. In semblance of a virus, their organization’s influence would spread, but through the entire process, Lapis Lazuli was of little help. Due to this, their small trio could only pick up one or two caches a week. A very infuriating start that reflected poorly on Peridot’s seemingly pristine report.

Because of this, the hacker started to see many things about the other woman that annoyed her. Her inability to clearly follow orders; the occasional flirtatious behavior; the way she presented herself. Many times, when the two were not out completing a drug run and Peridot was not screaming verbal abuses at them through her headset, she could be found loitering on the couch or on the hacker’s balcony. Idling and sleeping her cares away. The tan sun-kissed skinned even had the gall to deny her orders about venturing into her room, freely crossing the threshold to get to the balcony. After multiple times of the event occurring, Peridot had given up. As long as she did not steal or touch anything important, her presence was tolerable even despite the fact she spontaneously took her clothes and wore them.

Lapis Lazuli had no vitle possessions with her; _nothing_ since day one. And it struck an odd chord within the flaxen haired woman’s heart. That’s the only logical reason why it didn’t surprise her that she randomly dressed in her older clothes given she practically only owned the ones she arrived in, but Peridot still didn’t appreciate it. The woman waltzing in every morning to secure a change of clothes, pulling out discarded shirts she forgot she even possessed. Many that embarrassed her like her ancient _Alien-Con_ sweater and her secondary school gym clothes still blemished with a large vomit stain down the front. She virtually became an expected – though often times intolerable – presence in her room.

Eventually, the final dregs of a warm spring sloughed off into an oppressive summer, alluding that it was the appropriate time for a visit to the beach and plenty of short clothing; common scenes of woman dressed in skimpy bathing suits, desperate to show off for male suitors, and children handling packed wet grains for sandcastles. It was one of the hottest days of the year, and though Peridot speculated a simple air-conditioned day inside her cramped apartment would have been an absolutely wonderful idea, work had to be completed. More drugs to be secured and handed off to the DA.

For the sake of keeping Jasper – and more importantly Lapis – in line on such a seething day, she had decided to journey out with them as a guide. Portable laptop held under one arm for coordinates, and a ready-made scowl dragging at her lips as the heat enveloped her. It didn’t help that she was clad in a thick hoodie and torn, ripped jeans, but she despised the prospect of walking out into unknown territory with minimal clothing despite the heat. More protection offered a better chance in case a bullet went flying, but in all honesty, she knew cloth would do nothing to help. Still, she could say she was better off than Lapis Lazuli who barely wore anything in the chances of an assault.

Peridot glanced sideways at the cobalt haired woman dressed in her old white beach shorts and highschool t-shirt with the words _Beach City High_ etched in bold lettering across her chest. Stretched out the aspect of being fitted to a larger chest size than her own, and a sub nosed revolver hidden just below the waistline of her shorts. She was no better than Jasper, and, out of desperation of not getting arrested, Peridot had to coerce them through many tight alleyways and back roads in order to keep out of sight. How they had never been arrested before was a mystery to her given the pistols were nearly in plain sight from behind. Jasper had told her the other woman was good with a gun, but so far, due to her lack of obedient skills, she was unimpressed; the small burrowed pistol suited her rather well, however, and though she hadn’t needed to use it once through the collective trips, it was important given the territory they crept through.

Being in the field, up and close to the possible dangers, made Peridot incredibly nervous; glancing at every out-of-place noise like a frightened cat, somewhat grateful that her partners were armed with firearms though slightly reprimanding herself that she failed to possess her own. That’s why, when she heard the noise of what seemed to be a gun going off behind her, she nearly broke into a mad dash for cover. Almost charging Lapis down in the process. A quick glance over her shoulder placed the hulking form of her roommate in sight who wore the widest shit-eating grin plastered to her full lips; instilling a feeling of pure agitation into Peridot’s narrow chest.

“What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing, Jasper?” Too many hours spent in the hot sun had put her into a nasty mood, and she did not appreciate the deep sniggering sent her way.

“Ah, come on, Peridot. S’only a little fun.” A large, calloused hand reached for her shoulder, but she stepped back to avoid the physical contact. Nerves frayed, she did not want to be pushed into becoming a complete wreck – screaming and ushering forth a string of foul curse words. Instead, she turned her attention away from her still smirking roommate and focused on the laptop held tightly within her grasp. A small black thing with a logo of a diamond etched on the front.

The Authority had provided her the piece of equipment, and she had taken a great amount of measures to set up the most impenetrable security she could self-program. If fallen into an enemy organization’s hands, the data, encrypted with information about the DA and coordinates, would self-destruct and be completely erased from the memory drive. As long as she never forgot the unchangeable thirty-two-digit password, that specific problem would never arise. And with the data logged in, so were the current drug cache’s matched location.

“Can we stop here for a moment? I have to pull up the correct area of where it is.” She mumbled offhandedly as she crouched down and balanced the computer on her legs; slender black-nailed fingers working at typing in the lengthy passcode. From above, the large shadow of Jasper loomed, but even in the brief shade, the penetrating heat was still there – still burning like an evil eye lurking high in the sky. The flaxen haired hacker drew a hand up to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and her expression contorted into one of pure disgust at the feeling of the dampness invading her scalp. The beginnings of summer seemed to only get hotter and hotter with each passing year.

_Damn global warming! And they like to say it’s just a hyped up myth…_

She cursed bitterly in her head just as the quiet voice of Lapis finally broke the muffled background noise of city-life. “We shouldn’t be lingering here for too long, Peridot.”

“And why’s that?” The lime-green eyed woman’s voice was sharp at the aspect of being interrupted.

"Because someone’s already been here.” Jasper’s deep, rumbling voice took her for surprise, and she glanced up to see where her partner was gesturing to.

It was a sight she never expected nor wanted to see.

There, drawn in colorful graffiti on one of the building’s water-worn sides was a large pink rose; hanging with its thorns over an inverted triangle and surrounded by an enormous circle-like shield.

The dreaded sigil of the Crystal Gems.

Peridot’s stomach dropped. They were in their territory unannounced and unknown to the enemy. How could she have known the path to the cache was located through their marked grounds? A miscalculated error, but when all alleyways and side streets appeared the same, it was difficult to distinguish the unmarked boundaries from claimed area. In all honesty, she shouldn’t be surprised.  She had heard of the notorious group asserting dominance over forgotten, crumbling alleys as a small step towards extending their organization’s reach, but they had just been that. Rumors. Now, however, they were true, and she had unknowingly lead her companions down enemy paths in an effort to escape the watchful patrolling eye of policemen. She’d take a lifetime in prison then suffer an encounter with the Crystal Gems.

Word of what they did to rival gang members spread like wildfire around the Diamond Authority on a regular basis.

Swallowing hard, feeling as if her throat was closing up on her, she hastily secured the location and closed her laptop down. Standing as quickly as she could and gesturing for the others to start moving down the remainder of the passageway. Her voice was shaky, justifiable to the newfound panic she felt, but she hated the weak feeling that dominated her normally composed behavior.

“I’m going to kill the bitch who thought it was a good idea to hide one of our fucking drug caches in the Crystal Gem’s fucking boundaries.”

They crept along the edge of the side road and down another hidden lane, Peridot replaying the mapped out route in her head like a broken recorder. Caution was key now that they realized the potential danger their presence there possessed. In some way, the lime green eyed hacker just hoped they did not run into a patrol as being caught roaming through their adversary’s territory would no doubt be seen as a declaration of war. They would be executed on the spot. And still, the assignment had to be completed. Failing Yellow Diamond’s tasks could ensure just as worse a punishment, and Peridot wasn’t looking for an early death. All for the sake of her beloved Diamond, right?

“-and what makes them so dangerous?” The inquiry, softly spoken, startled her back to reality and away from the map in her mind’s eye, but when she realized it had not been addressed to her, she tuned out the conversation. Half-listening for the sound of bullets popping, and half-focused on the quiet murmurings behind her.

“Didn’t you hear?” Jasper’s voice was laced heavy with surprise. “They wiped the entire Lizard gang out within a few _weeks_. Merciless. Absolutely brutalized and obliterated the group. No one was left alive.”

“They did all that?”

“Yeah. Four defected specialists against a whole organization.”

“Four? But I thought there was only thre- “

“What? Are you saying I’m wrong?” An edginess had crept into Jasper’s rumbling voice, one Peridot knew all too well as offense.

“N-No! It’s not that; it’s just that I thought- “

“-and what do you mean by _three_? It’s always been four after the Quartz Rebellion- “

“- would you just shut up, Jasper? I’m trying to explain-“

“Be quiet, you two!” Peridot was surprised at the harshness of her tone, but she was past her limit of toleration towards their pointless bickering of numbers. The heat was getting to her head, and, hot and miserable, their argument was simply weaving together the makings of a painful headache. That, and possibly the encroaching dehydration. “I need you both to stop talking for a moment because, if you didn’t notice, we’re coming up to the caches location.”

“Where?” A pause. “I don’t see anything.” Her vitiligo splattered roommate’s voice vibrated irritatingly in her ears.

 “God, do I _have_ to point everything out to you, you clod?” Grudgingly, the hacker flicked a black nailed index finger towards the remains of an old crumbling flat wedged haphazardly in the corner of the backstreet; tucked away from view. “Whoever had placed the drug cache here is a complete idiot, but I have to give them some credit for hiding it so far away from the main roads. No one would ever come back this far…”

Peridot stepped over a pile of loose bricks and through an opening in the bent wall, listening to the crunching of gravel underneath her teammate’s boots. Everything seemed eerily quiet.

“What the hell happened here?” She turned back to find Lapis gazing up at what was the skeletal remains of the second floor; her head titled upwards, highlighted by a plane of hot sunlight filtering in through the collapsed roof. Each strand burned a different shade of blue, and Peridot found it somewhat pleasing to look at. A mosaic of beauty.

“Fire,” the flaxen haired woman replied bluntly, now preoccupied with brushing her hands against the warped, blackened floor boards in search of the cache’s exact location. “Happened about twenty, thirty years ago from unknown causes, and killing a family of six in the process. Police suspected a broken gas pipe or something. But me?” She pushed her spectacles further up the bridge of her crooked nose with a soot-stained hand. “I think it was arson.”

“Oh, arson. Big deal.” Jasper emerged from the other side of the wall that had once belonged to the kitchen, her thick mane of bleached hair stained with ash. “Only thing I can think worth bragging about is how many people I’ve killed, and how many girls I’ve laid.” Her words rooted a bitter taste in Peridot’s mouth, and she sent her a narrow glare in return. The answer shouldn’t have surprised her, but she couldn’t help the scowl tugging at her thin lips.

“In all honesty, I really didn’t need to know that, Jasper. But, if you could stop standing there and start helping me look for the cache, perhaps we can get out of here-“ Her fingers brushed against a loose floorboard. “-never mind. I found it.” The shadows of her companions loomed over her, lurking overhead as she tugged at the piece of wood, and, after a moments struggle, Peridot gave one last jerk and tore it free. Coughing as a wave of ancient ash assaulted her nose.

“What do we have?” Lapis’ quiet voice sounded from her right, followed up by the alto-like tone of her roommate to the left.

“From the looks of it,” Jasper crouched down, golden eyes cast onto the opening in the floor with some sort of contained excitement, “quite a bit of new stuff. The Diamond Authority’s done it again.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Peridot glanced sideways at the vitiligo splattered woman as she proceeded to start pulling out the packets of sealed drugs in an array of form and color.

“Just being distributed. You know, stuff not out in circulation yet. That makes this cache a little more valuable than all the other ones we have picked up so far. And, from what I’ve been sorting through,” the heavily muscled woman yanked out the last remaining packages, “these drugs are loaded with crap. Really easy to get addicted to some of this shit.”

“And you’re telling us why?” Her maned head jerked around to meet Lapis’ bemused stare.

“Because I thought, well… why not have a little fun? The DA won’t miss a few of these.” Jasper’s implications sowed an expression of surprise onto Peridot’s narrow face.

“You mean steal? Jasper, you know that could get us punished if they ever found out!”

“I wouldn’t call it stealing. It’s more like,” her roommate furrowed her thick eyebrows together as if searching for the right words, “embezzling for an honorable cause.”

“And what’s so “honorable” about taking drugs designated for the organization?” The hacker, arms buried in the fabric of her hoodie and laptop pressed against her chest, sneered; lips curled upwards to expose pristine white teeth.

“To test them before anyone else does, of course. Makes it a bit more exciting. Besides,” she started to cram the packets into the spacious pockets of her tattered jeans, “I’ve been doing this since I first started these shitty drug runs and nothing’s ever happened to me in the process. I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but I don’t really know how _alive_ your organs are, using all that crap on yourself.” Peridot mumbled bitterly between her teeth, jaw clenched in irritation at how her logic was seemingly being ignored by not only her roommate, but also now by Lapis Lazuli, who, after a moment of hesitation, gave into Jasper’s honey-coated poisonous words.

“We might as well relax a little, Peridot. I mean,” her cerulean eyes fixed onto her, “it’s just going to be one night. What’s the trouble of delivering the cache the next day?”

“A lot of things can happen in one night, Lazuli, and I _really_ don’t want to be the one to find out you two died from a drug overdose the next day. That would look horrible on my record.” She tried to imagine what such a scene would appear like, but in her mind’s eye, the image conceived sent chills up her spine; it was best to leave the scenario alone. “I thought you didn’t do drugs.”

“Well, you don’t know many things about me. For your information,” she stepped close to her, one hand poised on her hip, and the other trained on the handle of the pistol for security, “I may or may not have dabbled in them when I was in high school, but depending on what you want to believe, that’s entirely up to you.” Was it hot in the skeletal remains of the flat, or was it just her? Peridot didn’t know, but she forced herself to back up a few inches for relief at the rising heat in her face; crimson creeping up the back of her neck.

Drawing up a hand to rub idly at the side of her face, she watched as Jasper finally stood – pockets laden with the illegal substances. “Alright, let’s just got out of here now that we got what we came for. Being in this place is giving me the creeps.”

“Thought you’d never say that the way you were making doe eyes at Lapis.” Jasper barked out roughly, choking on dry laughter as she was rewarded with an indignant slap on the arm from a flustered Peridot. The red dominated her once pale cheeks, and in an effort to escape the heavy, almost mocking gazes of her companions, she trudged back out through the broken wall and further into the oppressive summer’s air; not fully caring whether she was cautious or not. The nervousness that had enveloped her from the realization they were in enemy territory had burned off like the morning haze, leaving her with an empty feeling her chest. One that was slowly patched up with irritation.

Through the remainder of the trip, hiding in the shadows and dodging civilian eyes, the trio made their way back to the designated apartment complex unscathed; fortunate to not have encountered any more signs of the Crystal Gem’s influential presence, and even more so to have been able to avoid any and all police cruisers. The heat of the day created a more suitable advantage for their return as less individuals on the street meant less risks to get caught and arrested, and though the event had gone not as exactly planned, Peridot was grateful for the easy retrieval.

Even if a lingering uneasiness blossomed in the back of her mind.

Upon entering the apartment complex and slipping unnoticed into _4D_ , she had locked her laptop back up into her room and threw herself onto the couch; nerves racing at the aspect of trying to work through the simple conditions of their completed assignment. Something didn’t seem right. It had been too easy, too _unguarded_ to walk into their territory and never be found once. Perhaps the adversary organization had just not been around the area that day, but something told Peridot it wasn’t the case, and, dwelling in the silence that consumed the air conditioned apartment, the thought finally hit her.

Like a ton of bricks, it had smashed into her consciousness, and she nearly sprung off the well-worn couch in a growing dread at what she had connected. From her perch on the adjacent seat, Lapis Lazuli sent her a strange look before returning her attention back to the water-marked coffee table, observing the process of Jasper laying out the multiple packages in a neat row. Her golden eyed roommate, however, didn’t stop once to glance up at the hacker’s sudden jolt back to reality.

“What have you thought up this time, smartass? Going to say this is a bad idea again, because we’ve already discussed that topic.”

“N-No! That’s not it.” Her bespectacled lime green eyes trained arduously onto Jasper’s strong-jawed face. “I was just thinking about how easily we got in and out of the CG’s territory without any problems, and I realized something.” A pause for dramatic effect, to see if her occupied companions were listening, until the weary voice of the cobalt haired woman broke the awkward silence.

“Well? What the hell are you waiting for?”

“Just checking to make sure I had your attention.” The hacker broke in smugly, much to chagrin of Lapis. “Anyway, I figured out that they let us walk right in. They _let us_ get away with it and did nothing to stop us; that’s why I felt uneasy when we were there because they were watching us.” For a split second, an undecipherable expression flickered over Lapis’ features, but before Peridot could jerk her head over to look at her, it was gone. Replaced with the same expression of indifference she normally portrayed.

“Watching us? Are you sure?”

“Yes. Positive.”

“And why would they do that?” Jasper glanced over to lock eyes, lime green mingling with burning amber. For once, the hacker was at a lost for a concrete, logical answer.

“Well… it could have been for many reasons. Personally, I believe they may have been trying to size us up or observe us long enough to acquire an adequate knowledge of how we act. How we behave in stressful situations. All the minimal information needed to devise ambush tactics later on.” Mumbling halfheartedly, she lowered her gaze to the floor, finding another seed of panic blooming within her narrow chest. It was suffocating, but justifiable. She really did _not_ want to be tangled up within the business of the Crystal Gems, and if they recognized them, no doubt all hell would break lose during an official encounter. That was, if Peridot ever had a reason to be wandering through their organization’s land once again.

Seconds passed in the blistering quietness, as if the hacker’s words had caused each of her teammates to fall into a contemplative stupor, but, in an act of audacity, Jasper spoke up to steer the topic away from the potential threat their mission had awarded them. Repentance for the heavy knowledge.

“Alright, that’s enough stress for the day. How about we get this started?” Her hulking roommate gestured offhandedly to the row of substances strewn about the table.

“And be a part of your drug orgy? No thank you. I’ve had enough excitement for now.”

Jasper shrugged. “Suit yourself. What about you, Lapis? Going to back out like wussy Peridot over there?” A spark of irritation flared up inside of her at the insulting retort, and she captured a glimpse of Lapis Lazuli’s round face to see her staring silently at the larger woman. Her lithe frame curled up tightly within the seat, biting at an upper lip as if in debate over whether she truly wanted to accept the proposal or not. But, knowing Lapis, the hacker already had predicted her answer.

“Sure, might as well. What do you have?” On cracking joints, she pushed herself off of the chair and stood; making her way over to where Jasper rested on her knees against the floor. From her peripheral vision, Peridot caught the subtle wink she sent her way and grimaced. Black nailed fingers digging deeper into the armrest of the couch as she sunk further into the cushions. Two drugged up colleagues was the start to a terrible evening.

A large calloused hand swung over the low-set table. “Variety. Just pick one out you think might be fun.”

She leaned in to take a sweeping glance of the inventory. “Ah, what’s this red one?” A packet of red powder was held up to the light; casting a rosy tint over a small section of the table.

“Red Beryl.”

“And this one?” A deep blue package containing what appeared to be crushed up minerals.

“Something I believe is known as Pixel.”

“This?”

“Moon Rocks.”

Peridot listened to the exchange, eyes studying the bent form of Lapis as she gestured to each different packet and was provided with another bizarre name more unique then the last one. Why did drugs always get coined with such odd titles?

“Hey, Jasper.” After a while of simply sitting there, focused on their conversation, the flaxen haired woman had deemed it was enough and broke in. Giving Lapis Lazuli a reprimanding glare as she was handed a small pack of strange green tinted liquid Jasper had informed her was _Jade Nitro_. “How do you know all of these names?”

"I experiment a little. Besides, I know someone who helps create this crap.”

“One of your fuck buddies?”

“Something like that.” Jasper stood and moved away, boots heavy against the floor as she disappeared down the hall and into her room; returning not a second later with a syringe clasped between thick forefinger and thumb. Her teeth yanked the covering off of the needle, and she crouched down to Lapis’ level. “Don’t move or I’m going to miss.” Peridot watched in silence as Jasper worked at administering the drug – grabbing at the bag, taking in some of the green liquid through the needle, and then positioning the syringe tip against the flesh of the crook of Lapis’ arm.

She did not flinch as the sharp point broke skin and pierced a minor vein, the plunger dropping down as it drained the thick liquid into her circulatory system and was then yanked unceremoniously out. A bead of ruby red blood welled up in the wound.

“Lazuli?” Peridot called from her sunken position on the couch, eyes focused on the dot of crimson slipping down the crook of her elbow. “Hey, Lazuli, you okay?” She seemed a bit dazed, a murky look clouding her once clear cerulean eyes. With no response, the hacker turned her piercing stare onto her crouched roommate. “What the hell happened? She already looks half dead!”

“It’s the drug, Peridot. This one in particular has an almost immediate effect.” Jasper stared bluntly, flicking her golden eyed gaze towards the hacker with a tight-lipped smirk spreading across her face. The syringe still clasped in her hand.

“Is that why it’s called Nitro?”

“Yeah, that’s right. She sure picked one hell of an experimental drug to try, though.” The thick haired woman muttered, turning back to glance at the unresponsive form of Lapis simply resting on the floor; appearing as if she were in a stupor.

“And how long will it be until she’s responsive?” Peridot snapped, glancing between the two woman with a jagged stare. This was a reason why she had refused to join in – the unpredictability of what could arise.

Jasper scratched the back of her neck; unsure. “Don’t know. Maybe a few minutes? The affects vary depending on the person.” The hacker permitted a heavy sigh to slip past her thin lips in defeat. The day truly had spiraled into something else with the oddest shift between potential danger to bizarre drug trip. The enigmatic behaviors of her roommates were truly atrocious, and it frustrated her to no end.

_Why did I even get myself involved with these people?_

“And you, Jasper?” Slipping her hands into her hair, she pulled anxiously at the unkempt flaxen strands. “You going to add yourself to the drugged-up status list?” Her words were sharp and uneasy.

“I’m not missing out on a fun night. Like you said,” Jasper smirked arrogantly, “’a lot can happen’. But what about you, Miss-I’m-Too-Fucking-Good-For-This-Shit? You dabbled in some drugs back when you were a bit younger. Why not now?”

“Because someone has to be sensible around here. With you two stoned, who’s going to keep watch in case anything happens?”

“Nothing’s going to happen. You’re just being paranoid. Besides,” she threw a sharp nailed hand towards the cobalt haired woman sprawled across the floor, her lips moving to invisible words and cerulean eyes locked on the ceiling as if something interesting hung from its rafters, “you fucked a stranger, and then met her the same day, and you’re telling me you’re not going to do at least this? What kind of twisted logic do you operate on?” Jasper’s words made little sense, but they still managed to strike a chord within Peridot’s chest. Nervously, she bowed her head and pushed at the glasses resting on her crooked nose.

_God, she has a strange point._ A pause in her thoughts. _Can’t believe I’m letting my life spiral out of control, but, if you can’t beat them… join them._

“Alright, you fucking clod. I’ll join your stupid orgy. Just,” she glanced anxiously towards the still motionless form of Lapis Lazuli, “don’t give me anything that’ll make me into a zombie like her. Something less… extreme.”

“Thought you’d finally break.” Jasper chuckled quietly as she sorted through the packages of substances and, spotting one that was appropriate, proceeded to pull out and hold up to her face. A familiar red powder met her eyesight.

“Red Beryl?” The flaxen haired woman questioned as her roommate tossed the bag to her with a careless flick of her wrist.

“Yeah, you snort it. Kind of like cocaine.”

“I know how you snort cocaine, Jasper. I mean, I’ve never done it, but you just breath it in. How hard can that be?” A little dab of crimson on her finger was all it took. Directly into her bloodstream, the rush hit her like a ton of bricks, and she nearly blacked out at the abrupt sensation.

Five minutes in, and the room started rocking around her. It was too hot; too unstable; too nauseating. But the high of ecstasy was worth it despite the encroaching feeling of paranoia all around her. Flashes of blue and white splattered her uneven vision, playing games within the shadows of the room, and though she was conscious, her mind refused to make sense of what was happening. Movement was nearly out of the equation.

There was the sound of laughter, high and trilling in her ears, accompanied by the rumbling tone of a familiar voice. Lazuli must have slipped out of her unresponsive state. Snickering like a fool, laughing to a jest that was not even funny and made practically no sense. But what was the care? Everything was painted in a dreamlike aura to Peridot, and with that, her common sense had been tossed completely out the window.

Within the next few hours, all the hacker could vaguely recall was the feeling of foreign hands tangling through her hair; a pair of hot lips moving feverishly against her own; and a warm body trapped beneath her weight. Blue painted nails digging sharply into the pale skin of her shoulder blades. An echo to a very similar situation.

Through the pounding headache in the back of her confused mind, Peridot didn’t realize she had fucked up.

Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another update as a filler chapter of sorts. So, I really didn't know where I was going with this chapter. Two days to write, and this kind of spiraled out of control into a wreck at the end, but at least it's something. I may rewrite this eventually as I lost my flow near the middle, but as the longest chapter to date, it was a bit of work to produce. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it though, and the next one should be up around this month! 


	7. UPDATE

Alright! Sorry for fooling you guys into thinking this was another chapter, but I just wanted to inform you all that this story is not dead. I've just been really busy at the moment, and haven't had time to write another chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to get something up soon, but I wanted to put out the word that I am still continuing this story (just in case there was any anxiety in people? Or am I just writing this because I want to make sure no one is thinking this story is in hiatus forever?). 

Sorry for the inconvenience of this, but I simply wanted to reassure (that I wasn't writing on this site anymore as well.) Hope you guys are still following this story, and I will try to post another chapter by the end of this month, or early next month. 

Thanks for the patience~ 

 

(I will delete this message after I finish writing, and posting, the next one.)

**Author's Note:**

> So, guess what! I decided to start a new story; something I can stick with. Hopefully, I can keep this going, but for now, I have no idea what I am doing. This actually is just something that came to mind after a while, and I decided to write about it. If anyone is interested, please don't hesitate. Feedback is always supportive.


End file.
